Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five 

Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte 

South Natural Resources District, 

Eastern Nebraska, 1994 

By A.D. Druliner and J.P. Mason 

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Water-Resources Investigations Report 00–4155 

Prepared in cooperation with the 

LOWER PLATTE SOUTH NATURAL RESOURCES DISTRICT 

Lincoln, Nebraska 

2001 
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

GALE A. NORTON, Secretary 

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Charles G. Groat, Director 

The use of firm, trade, and brand names in this report is for identification purposes only and does 

not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey. 

For additional information write to:	 Copies of this report can be purchased 

from: 

District Chief	 U.S. Geological Survey 

U.S. Geological Survey Information Services 

Federal Building, Room 406 Box 25286 

100 Centennial Mall North Federal Center 

Lincoln, NE 68508 Denver, CO 80225 
CONTENTS


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


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


Purpose and Scope ....................................................................................................................................................... 2


Description of the Study Area ..................................................................................................................................... 2


Location and Surface Features........................................................................................................................... 2


Hydrogeologic Setting ....................................................................................................................................... 2


Soils ................................................................................................................................................................... 6


Climate............................................................................................................................................................... 6


Land Use ............................................................................................................................................................ 6


Previous Investigations ................................................................................................................................................ 7


Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................................................... 7


Methods ................................................................................................................................................................................. 7


Aquifer Delineation and Drainable-Volume Estimation.............................................................................................. 7


Ground-Water-Quality Sample Collection and Analysis............................................................................................. 9


Well Selection .................................................................................................................................................... 9


Site Identification............................................................................................................................................... 10


Water-Quality Sample Collection ...................................................................................................................... 10


Laboratory Analyses .......................................................................................................................................... 12


Statistical Analyses ............................................................................................................................................ 12


Quality Assurance and Quality Control............................................................................................................. 12


Hydrogeology ........................................................................................................................................................................ 13


General Description of the Western Part of Lower Platte South Natural Resources District ...................................... 13


Water Table ........................................................................................................................................................ 13


Base of Aquifers ................................................................................................................................................ 13


Total Saturated Thickness .................................................................................................................................. 17


Description of Principal Aquifers ................................................................................................................................ 17


Dwight-Valparaiso Aquifer................................................................................................................................ 17


Crete-Princeton-Adams Aquifer ........................................................................................................................ 17


Waverly Aquifer................................................................................................................................................. 19


Platte River Aquifer ........................................................................................................................................... 19


Missouri River Aquifer ...................................................................................................................................... 19


Ground-Water Quality ........................................................................................................................................................... 19


Field Measurements........................................................................................................................................... 19


Major Ions and Dissolved Solids ....................................................................................................................... 22


Nitrate ................................................................................................................................................................ 25


Radon ................................................................................................................................................................. 26


Herbicides .......................................................................................................................................................... 27


Quality-Assurance Results................................................................................................................................. 27


Considerations for Future Ground-Water-Quality Monitoring.............................................................................................. 28


Summary................................................................................................................................................................................ 28


References.............................................................................................................................................................................. 29


Appendix................................................................................................................................................................................ 31


Figures 

1. Map showing location of five principal aquifers, Lower Platte South Natural Resources District .......................... 3


2.	 Graph showing trends in (A) irrigation-well development and (B) nitrogen-fertilizer use in Cass and


Lancaster Counties, 1968–93 .................................................................................................................................... 8


3. Graphic showing well-numbering system................................................................................................................. 11


4–8. Maps showing:


4.	 Configuration of the water table in the western part of the Lower Platte South Natural Resources 


District, fall 1994....................................................................................................................................................... 15


CONTENTS III

5.	 Bedrock geology and altitude of top of bedrock surface in the western part of the Lower Platte South 

Natural Resources District ........................................................................................................................................ 16 

6.	 Total saturated thickness of Quaternary-age deposits and distribution of deposits composed of 40 or more feet 

of sand and gravel in the western part of the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, fall 1994 ................. 18 

7.	 Approximate extent of the Dwight-Valparaiso, Crete-Princeton-Adams, and Waverly aquifers, and the 

locations of wells used for water-quality sampling in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, 1994 ... 20 

8.	 Approximate extent and saturated thickness of the Platte and Missouri River aquifers and the locations of wells 

used for water-quality sampling in the eastern part of the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, 1994... 21 

9. Trilinear diagram showing ionic composition of ground water by aquifer, in percent reacting value: 

A. Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer; B. Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer; C. Waverly aquifer; D. Platte River aquifer; 

and E. Missouri River aquifer, 1994 ......................................................................................................................... 23 

10. 	Boxplot showing distribution of well depth and selected chemical constituents by aquifer in the Lower Platte 

South Natural Resources District, 1994.................................................................................................................... 24 

Tables 

1.	 Characteristics of selected bedrock units, Lower Platte South Natural Resources District .................................... 4


2.	 Characteristics of aquifers in unconsolidated deposits, Lower Platte South Natural Resources District ............... 5


3.	 Water-level data for wells completed in the western part of the Lower Platte South Natural 

Resources District, fall 1994 ................................................................................................................................... 14 

4. Statistical summary of ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South 

Natural Resources District, summer 1994 (in the Appendix) ................................................................................. 33 

5.	 Ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, 

summer 1994 (In the Appendix) ............................................................................................................................. 38 

6.	 Results of replicate ground-water-quality analyses for major ions, selected metals, and nitrate in the 

Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, summer 1994............................................................................... 27 

Conversion Factors and Vertical Datum 

Multiply By To obtain 

inch 2.54 centimeter 

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter 

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer 

acre 0.004047 square kilometer 

square foot (ft2

) 929.0 square centimeter 

square foot (ft2

) 0.09290 square meter 

square mile (mi2

) 2.590 square kilometer 

gallon (gal) 3.785 liter 

gallon (gal) 0.003785 cubic meter 

acre-foot (acre-ft) 1,233 cubic meter 

picocurie per liter (pCi/L) 0.037 becquerel per liter 

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

°F = (1.8 × °C) + 32 

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

°C = (°F – 32) / 1.8 

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


from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of both the United States and Canada, formerly called Sea Level Datum of 1929.


Altitude, as used in this report, refers to distance above or below sea level.


Specific conductance is given in microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius (μS/cm at 25°C).


Concentrations of chemical constituents in water are given either in milligrams per liter (mg/L) or micrograms per liter (μg/L).


IV CONTENTS 
Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal 

Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural 

Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 

By A.D. Druliner and J.P. Mason 

ABSTRACT 

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation 

with the Lower Platte South Natural Resources 

District, conducted a hydrogeologic and waterquality reconnaissance study of the five principal 

aquifers in deposits of Quaternary age in the 

Natural Resources District. The purpose of the 

study was to delineate the approximate extent of 

the aquifers, to estimate volumes of drainable 

water in three aquifers, to provide information 

that could be useful in designing future groundwater-quality monitoring, and to determine baseline water-quality conditions in the aquifers, 

focusing on nitrate concentrations. 

The approximate lateral boundaries of the 

Dwight-Valparaiso, Crete-Princeton-Adams, and 

Waverly aquifers were defined as areas in which 

the thickness of continuous sand and gravel 

deposits was less than 40 feet. The three aquifers 

were determined to contain about 1,340,000; 

1,540,000; and 172,000 acre-feet of drainable 

water, respectively, assuming a specific yield of 

0.20. 

During the summer of 1994, ground-water 

samples were collected from 46 wells in the five 

aquifers and analyzed for nitrate and screened for 

triazine herbicides. Additionally, water samples 

from 39 of these wells were analyzed for major 

ions, iron, and manganese, and 35 were analyzed 

for radon. 

Water-quality analyses revealed that the 

water in the five aquifers had specific conductances that ranged from 399 to 2,040 microsiemens per centimeter and was a calciumcarbonate to calcium-magnesium-sodium 

carbonate type. The most mineralized water 

samples were from the Crete-Princeton-Adams 

aquifer, which contained a median concentration 

of dissolved solids of 520 milligrams per liter. 

Concentrations of nitrate in water samples from 

the aquifers ranged from less than 0.05 to 

23 milligrams per liter as nitrogen, and only six 

water samples exceeded the Maximum Contaminant Level established by the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency of 10 milligrams per liter. The 

median concentration of radon for water samples 

from the five aquifers was 300 picocuries per liter, 

which is the proposed Maximum Contaminant 

Level. Water samples from the CretePrinceton-Adams and Waverly aquifers had the 

largest concentrations of radon among the five 

aquifers. The Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer had 

a median concentration of 440 picocuries per liter, 

and the Waverly aquifer had a median concentration of 390 picocuries per liter. Herbicides were 

detected in water from only six wells, which were 

in four of the five aquifers. Atrazine, metabolites 

of atrazine, metolachlor, and metribuzin were 

detected in concentrations generally less than 

1.00 microgram per liter. 

INTRODUCTION 

Residents of the Lower Platte South Natural 

Resources District (LPS NRD), located in eastern 

INTRODUCTION 1 
Nebraska, derive much of their irrigation, industrial, 

and drinking-water supplies from five principal aquifers in deposits of Quaternary age. These five aquifers 

are the Dwight-Valparaiso, the Crete-PrincetonAdams, the Waverly, the Platte River, and the Missouri 

River aquifers (fig. 1). The quantity and quality of 

water in these aquifers are principal concerns of residents of the LPS NRD. Furthermore, the ground-water 

management plan of the LPS NRD (Glenn Johnson, 

LPS NRD, oral commun., 1994) requires that these 

aquifers be managed in a manner that will ensure an 

adequate supply of clean, usable water for generations 

to come. To accomplish this goal, it is important that 

the extent of each of these aquifers and the amount of 

drainable water in each aquifer—water that is available for use—be estimated. 

In the recent past, water-quality information has 

been collected in the LPS NRD as part of studies by 

the National Uranium Resource Evaluation Program 

(1981), the University of Nebraska, the Nebraska 

Department of Health (NDOH), and the LPS NRD. 

These studies and data-collection efforts show 

elevated concentrations of nitrate as nitrogen and 

dissolved solids in the principal aquifers in the LPS 

NRD. To evaluate and manage these ground-water 

quality resources efficiently, a system of water-qualitysampling sites that are representative of each of the 

principal aquifers and a more accurate delineation of 

these aquifers would be useful. 

To satisfy these data needs, the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the LPS NRD, 

conducted a hydrogeologic and water-quality reconnaissance study of the five principal aquifers in 

deposits of Quaternary age in the LPS NRD. 

Purpose and Scope 

The objectives of the study were (1) to delineate 

the approximate extent of the principal aquifers and 

estimate the volumes of drainable ground water in the 

Dwight-Valparaiso, Crete-Princeton-Adams, and 

Waverly aquifers, (2) to provide information that could 

be useful in designing future ground-water-quality 

monitoring, and (3) to determine baseline waterquality conditions, with an emphasis on nitrate 

concentrations. The data may serve as a baseline for 

the determination of trends in water quality. 

Description of the Study Area 

Location and Surface Features 

The LPS NRD occupies about 1,690 mi2 

(square miles) in the extreme eastern part of Nebraska 

and is bordered by the Platte River on the north and the 

Missouri River on the east (fig. 1). It includes most of 

Cass and Lancaster Counties and parts of Butler, Saunders, Seward, and Otoe Counties. The LPS NRD 

consists principally of two drainage basins. Salt Creek 

occupies the largest of the basins and drains parts of 

Saunders, Butler, and Seward Counties and nearly all 

of Lancaster County. Salt Creek flows into the Platte 

River in northwestern Cass County. Weeping Water 

Creek drains the southern two-thirds of Cass County 

and the northeastern corner of Otoe County, where it 

flows into the Missouri River. 

Physiographically, the LPS NRD is located in 

the Dissected Till Plains Section of the Central 

Lowland Province (Fenneman, 1946). Topographically, the study area consists of gently rolling to steep 

upland areas that encircle the Salt Creek drainage area 

and divide the Weeping Water Creek drainage and the 

local Platte River drainage to the north. The upland 

areas are composed of glacial tills and loess-covered 

tills that tend to be deeply dissected by numerous 

small drainages. Terraces are limited mostly to the 

lower part of the Salt Creek drainage area near the 

communities of Lincoln and Waverly and to the Platte 

River. The terraces consist mostly of silt or loess 

deposits that overlie sand and gravel. Bottomlands 

extend along the principal streams in the study area. 

Hydrogeologic Setting 

The units considered in this report include only 

bedrock formations that are directly overlain by 

unconsolidated deposits of Quaternary age (table 1) 

and the Quaternary-age deposits that overlie them 

(table 2). Most of the information presented in this 

section is from Condra and Reed (1959), Goodenkauf 

(1978), Holly (1980), Lawton and others (1984), and 

the Nebraska Department of Environmental Control 

and University of Nebraska Conservation and Survey 

Division (1980a–f). Bedrock in the study area consists 

of rocks of Pennsylvanian, Permian, and Cretaceous 

age. The Permian and Pennsylvanian rocks underlie 

most of the LPS NRD and consist of shales interbedded with limestones and sandstones. Aquifers in 

2 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
INTRODUCTION 3

Valparaiso

Ashland

Lincoln

Princeton

Waverly aquifer

Platte River

aquifer

Louisville

Plattsmouth

Missouri River

aquifer Weeping Water Creek

Rock

Creek

Salt

Creek

Platte

River

Missouri Rive r

0 5 10 MILES

0 5 10 KILOMETERS

Modified from the Nebraska Department

of Environmental Control and

University of Nebraska Conservation

and Survey Division (1980c and 1980f)

40°35'

41°05'

97°

41°

43°

98°

104°

96°30'

96°15'

NEBRASKA

Lower Platte South

Natural Resources

Omaha District

Adams

Crete

Dwight-Valparaiso

aquifer

SAUNDERS

LANCASTER CASS

OTOE

SEWARD

Crete-PrincetonAdams aquifer

DwightBUTLER

Waverly

Figure 1. Location of five principal aquifers, Lower Platte South Natural Resources District.
Table 1. Characteristics of selected bedrock units, Lower Platte South Natural Resources District 

[Modified from Tanner and Steele, 1991, and Condra and Reed, 1959] 

Maximum 

System Unit Description saturated 

thickness 

Hydrogeologic 

characteristics 

(feet) 

Cretaceous Undifferentiated Shale, marl, and limestone. Shale is 90 Forms a regional confining unit 

Carlile Shale, calcareous. Limestone is thin- that, where present, separates the 

Greenhorn bedded, argillaceous, and inter- Dakota Sandstone from aquifers 

Limestone, and bedded with marl and shale beds. in surficial deposits. Occurs only 

Graneros Shale in southeastern Butler County 

and has a relatively small areal 

extent (about 10 square miles). 

Dakota Sandstone Predominantly massive to cross- Less than 140 Generally an unconfined to semibedded friable sandstone with confined aquifer. Wells can yield 

interbedded red to light gray, 50 to 750 gallons per minute. 

argillaceous to slightly sandy Can be hydraulically connected 

shales. Sandstone may contain to saturated sand and gravel in 

ironstone or spherulitic siderite overlying unconsolidated 

concretions and chert pebbles. deposits. 

Sandstone and shales may be 

micaceous. 

Permian and Undifferentiated Shales interbedded with limestone Less than 1,000 Contains some minor unconfined 

Pennsylvanian shale, lime- and sandstone. Shales may be to semiconfined aquifers. Wells 

stone, and sand- laminated argillaceous, mica- can yield 20 to 50 gallons per 

stone ceous, arenaceous, calcareous, minute in areas where secondary 

and fossiliferous and may contain porosity has developed in fracfine gypsum. Limestones may be tured zones in the limestone 

massive, geodal, fossiliferous, or sequences. Locally thick sandcontain chert. Sandstone is stone may increase yield. Can be 

predominantly thin bedded and hydraulically connected to satumay contain coal. rated sand and gravel in overlying unconsolidated deposits. 

Where secondary porosity of 

limestone is not present, the unit 

is not used for water supply. 

Permian and Pennsylvanian rocks underlying the LPS 

NRD generally are not considered to be major sources 

of water supply; however, they may yield small 

volumes of water locally in fracture zones and where 

sandstone is present. 

The Dakota Sandstone of Cretaceous age unconformably overlies Permian and Pennsylvanian rocks in 

the western part of the LPS NRD. The Dakota Sandstone consists of fine- to medium-textured sandstone 

interbedded with shale and approaches 140 ft in thickness in some locations. The Dakota Sandstone is an 

unconfined to semiconfined aquifer and is frequently 

hydraulically connected to overlying sands and gravels 

of Quaternary age. The Dakota Sandstone is a significant source of water supply in the LPS NRD, especially where aquifers in deposits of Quaternary age are 

very thin or absent. Water from the Dakota Sandstone 

frequently is of poorer quality than water from overlying aquifers. 

A sequence of younger Cretaceous-age 

rocks—the Carlile Shale, Greenhorn Limestone, and 

Graneros Shale—overlies the Dakota Sandstone in the 

extreme northwestern corner of the LPS NRD. These 

deposits are not considered to be major sources of 

water supply and form a confining unit that hydraulically separates the underlying Dakota Sandstone from 

overlying Quaternary-age deposits. 

A complex mixture of unconsolidated deposits 

of Quaternary age unconformably overlies bedrock of 

Cretaceous, Permian, or Pennsylvanian age in most 

locations in the LPS NRD. Pleistocene-age deposits of 

alluvial sands and gravels fill paleovalleys cut into the 

bedrock. Glacial till of Pleistocene age overlies much 

of the LPS NRD, and loess of Pleistocene age covers 

much of the glacial till. Alluvial sediments of Pleis4 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
Table 2. Characteristics of aquifers in unconsolidated deposits, Lower Platte South Natural Resources District 

[Modified from Tanner and Steele, 1991] 

Maximum 

System Aquifer Description saturated

 thickness 

Hydrogeologic 

characteristics 

(feet) 

Quaternary Platte River aquifer Predominantly Holocene­ 70 Unconfined alluvial aquifer with wells 

and Pleistocene-age yielding 900 to 2,000 gallons per 

sand, gravel, and silt minute. Depth to water ranges from 5 

deposits located within to 10 feet. 

the incised bedrock 

valley of the Platte 

River. 

Missouri River aquifer Predominantly Holocene­ 80 Alluvial aquifer usually unconfined but 

and Pleistocene-age locally may be semiconfined. Most 

sand, gravel, and silt wells yield 600 to 1,200 gallons per 

deposits within the minute. Depth to water ranges from 5 

incised bedrock valley to 15 feet. 

of the Missouri River. 

Paleovalley alluvial Predominantly Pleis­ 275 Major alluvial aquifers that are generaquifers, including tocene-age silt, sand, ally semiconfined to confined. Basic 

Dwight-Valparaiso, gravel, and clay directional trend of paleovalleys is 

Crete-Princeton-Adams, deposits within west to east. Depth to water ranges 

and Waverly aquifers bedrock valleys. from less than 10 to 250 feet. Wells 

Commonly overlain by yield 400 to 1,200 gallons per 

thick deposits of fine- minute. 

textured material, 

mostly glacial till and 

some loess. 

tocene and Holocene age fill the Platte River and the 

Missouri River valleys. 

Five aquifers provide much of the ground water 

used in the LPS NRD. The Dwight-Valparaiso, CretePrinceton-Adams, and Waverly aquifers, also called 

the paleovalley alluvial aquifers (table 2), are in paleovalleys incised into the top of the Dakota Sandstone or 

older bedrock in the western part of the LPS NRD. 

The paleovalley alluvial aquifers consist of silts, 

sands, gravels, and clays and are overlain by glacial till 

and loess deposits. Along the northeastern and eastern 

borders of the LPS NRD are the alluvial aquifers of 

the Platte and Missouri Rivers. 

The Dwight-Valparaiso, Crete-PrincetonAdams, and Waverly aquifers are identified by the 

names of the communities near them (fig. 1). The 

Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer is in the northwestern part 

of the LPS NRD, consists of about 97 mi2

, and extends 

from west to east. The Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer 

lies along the southwestern boundary of the LPS NRD, 

consists of about 115 mi2, and extends from west to 

east. The Waverly aquifer is in the central part of the 

LPS NRD, consists of about 25 mi2

, and extends from 

southwest to northeast. These aquifers generally are 

semiconfined to confined, are overlain by glacial till 

and some loess, and have varying thicknesses. 

Although total saturated thickness in the areas of the 

Dwight-Valparaiso and the Crete-Princeton-Adams 

aquifers can exceed 250 ft, the coarser textured alluvial materials [sand and(or) gravel], in which most 

water-supply wells are screened, tend to be in the 

lower parts of these paleovalleys and generally are less 

than 100 ft thick. These three aquifers are the major 

sources of ground-water supply in the area, and most 

of the LPS NRD’s more than 500 registered irrigation 

wells are screened in them. 

The Platte River and Missouri River aquifers are 

unconfined to semiconfined and consist of sand, 

gravel, and silt deposits that overlie bedrock. The 

thicknesses of these aquifers are about 70 and 80 ft, 

respectively, and change little along the river valleys. 

These aquifers are relatively narrow, and both contain 

some segments that are nearly isolated from the others 

on the LPS NRD side of the rivers. Some domestic and 

irrigation wells are in the Platte and Missouri River 

aquifers in the study area; for example, the cities of 

Lincoln and Omaha operate large municipal well 

fields in the Platte River aquifer near Ashland. 

INTRODUCTION 5 
Most recharge in the study area results from 

infiltration of precipitation (Ellis and others, 1985). 

Some recharge to and discharge from the aquifers of 

interest likely occur as seepage from and to less 

permeable sediments or rocks adjacent to the aquifers. 

Recharge from streams also occurs in the Waverly, 

Platte River, and Missouri River aquifers during 

periods of high flow in Salt Creek, the Platte River, 

and the Missouri River, respectively. During periods of 

low flow in the Platte and Missouri Rivers, ground 

water is discharged from the alluvial aquifers into the 

rivers. 

Soils 

Soil associations present in the LPS NRD have 

been mapped by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Natural Resources Conservation Service, and University of Nebraska, Conservation and Survey Division 

(1990). The Sharpsburg-Pawnee-Steinauer Association covers most of the northwestern quarter of the 

LPS NRD. This association is characterized by very 

deep, nearly level to steep, moderately to excessively 

drained loamy and silty soils with clayey subsoils on 

the uplands. This association typically forms over 

glacial till and loess. 

The Wymore-Pawnee-Burchard Association 

covers most of the southern part of the LPS NRD. This 

association is characterized by very deep, nearly level 

to moderately steep, moderately well-drained to welldrained, loamy and silty soils with clayey subsoils on 

the uplands. This association also forms over glacial 

till and loess. 

The Sharpsburg Association covers much of the 

north-central part of the LPS NRD. This association is 

characterized by very deep, nearly level to strongly 

sloping, moderately well drained silty soils. This 

association forms on uplands covered with loess. 

The Marshall-Ponca Association covers much 

of the northeastern part of the LPS NRD. This 

association is characterized by very deep, gently 

sloping to moderately steep, well-drained, silty soils. 

This association also is found on uplands covered with 

loess. 

The Monona-Ida Association occurs directly 

adjacent to the flood plains of the Platte and Missouri 

Rivers. This association is characterized by deep to 

very deep, strongly sloping to very steep, well to 

excessively drained, silty soils. This association also is 

found on uplands covered with loess. 

The Albaton-Haynie-Sarpy Association is found 

on the flood plain of the Platte and Missouri Rivers. 

This association is characterized by deep, nearly level, 

poorly to excessively drained, clayey, silty, and sandy 

soils. 

The Kennebec-Nodaway-Zook Association is 

found on the flood plains of Salt and Oak Creeks. This 

association is characterized by deep, nearly level, 

moderately well to poorly drained, silty soils. 

The Kipson-Sogn-Wymore Association is found 

on and adjacent to the Weeping Water Creek flood 

plain where bedrock occurs at or near the surface. This 

association is characterized by very shallow to very 

deep, nearly level to steep, moderately well to somewhat excessively drained, loamy and silty soils formed 

on bedrock or loess. 

Climate 

The LPS NRD lies within the continental interior in the middle latitudes where the climate is characterized by hot summers, severe winters, and 

moderate amounts of precipitation. The following 

average climatological conditions are based on the 

30-year averages between 1961 and 1990 and on 1994 

averages for the Lincoln Municipal Airport, which is 

generally representative of the LPS NRD (National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1994a,b). 

The average annual temperature is about 50 degrees 

Fahrenheit (°F). The hottest month of the year is 

usually July with an average temperature of 73°F. The 

coldest month of the year is usually January with an 

average temperature of 21°F. 

During 1994, the Lincoln Municipal Airport 

received about 23 inches of precipitation. About 

77 percent, or 17 inches, of the precipitation that fell 

in 1994 occurred during the growing season (April 

through September). 

Land Use 

The principal land use in the LPS NRD is agriculture. In 1992, approximately 79 percent of the land 

in Cass and Lancaster Counties was used for agriculture. Of the total cropland in Cass and Lancaster 

Counties in 1992, 30 percent was planted in soybeans, 

25 percent was planted in sorghum, and 24 percent 

was planted in corn (Nebraska Department of Agriculture, 1994). 

6 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
Figure 2A shows the number of registered irrigation wells for Cass and Lancaster Counties from 

1968 through 1993. A sharp increase in the number of 

wells from the mid- to late-1970s was followed by a 

gradual increase over the following 15 years. 

Figure 2B shows annual nitrogen fertilizer sales in 

Cass and Lancaster Counties during the same period. 

Nitrogen use during this time varied greatly with no 

apparent trends. The increased nitrogen fertilizer sales 

during 1990–92 could be the result of a change in the 

reporting categories for nitrogen fertilizer used by the 

Nebraska Department of Agriculture. 

Previous Investigations 

A series of maps was produced that show 

bedrock altitude and approximate thickness of aquifers 

in deposits of Quaternary age for the Fremont and 

Omaha quadrangles and for the Lincoln and Nebraska 

City quadrangles (Nebraska Department of Environmental Control and University of Nebraska, Conservation and Survey Division, 1980, a–f). The bedrockaltitude maps used contour intervals of 50 ft and the 

aquifer-thickness maps used contour intervals of 

100 ft. Cretaceous- through Quaternary-age geology in 

parts of Lancaster County also was described (Goodenkauf, 1978; Holly, 1980). 

The NDOH conducted comprehensive waterquality sampling in the LPS NRD during the late 

1980s. Exner and Spalding (1990) compiled data on 

concentrations of nitrate in ground water from 1984 to 

1988 and concentrations of pesticides in ground water 

prior to 1989 for the entire State using data from the 

LPS NRD, USGS, University of Nebraska Conservation and Survey Division, Lincoln-Lancaster County 

Health Department, and the Nebraska Department of 

Environmental Quality. Part of the data compiled for 

approximately 100 wells (mostly domestic) in the LPS 

NRD shows that water samples from about 35 percent 

of the wells contained nitrate concentrations equal to 

or larger than 7.5 mg/L as nitrogen. 

Exner and Spalding (1990) also reported results 

of ground-water analyses for atrazine, alachlor, and 

propachlor in the LPS NRD. About 7 percent of the 

70 wells (mostly domestic) in the LPS NRD from 

which water samples were collected and analyzed for 

pesticides contained atrazine at concentrations equal to 

or larger than 0.01 μg/L. No water samples collected 

from the 70 wells contained alachlor concentrations 

that equaled or exceeded that study's analytical detection limit of 0.40 μg/L. One water sample from an irrigation well in the LPS NRD was analyzed for 

propachlor, which was not detected. 

Lawton and others (1984) compiled available 

data on the water quality in parts of the Dakota Sandstone in eastern Nebraska. They found the water 

quality from 18 wells screened in the Dakota Sandstone in the Lincoln area to be highly variable. They 

reported most water samples in the Lincoln area from 

the Dakota Sandstone were primarily a calcium bicarbonate type and had dissolved-solids concentrations 

ranging from 248 to 1,360 mg/L. Sodium and chloride 

were the dominant major ions in 4 of the 18 water 

samples. These four samples had dissolved-solids 

concentrations ranging from 23,700 to 43,800 mg/L. 

Acknowledgments 

The authors thank the landowners who 

permitted the USGS to collect ground-water samples 

from their wells and who have provided the USGS 

with land- and chemical-use information. The authors 

thank Vince Dreeszen, former director of the University of Nebraska, Conservation and Survey Division, 

for sharing his interpretation of bedrock topography in 

the study area. The authors also thank Dan Schulz and 

Justin Krajewski of the LPS NRD for their work in 

securing permission to collect samples from private 

wells and collecting ground-water-level data in the 

study area. 

METHODS 

The following sections describe the methods 

used in conducting this study. Included are the methods 

used to select wells, measure water levels, delineate 

aquifer extent, collect and analyze ground-water 

samples, and provide quality assurance for those 

samples. 

Aquifer Delineation and Drainable-Volume 

Estimation 

Test-hole data, logs from registered wells, available bedrock maps (produced by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Control and the University of 

METHODS 7 
Figure 2. Trends in (A) irrigation-well development and (B) nitrogen-fertilizer use in Cass and Lancaster Counties, 

1968–93. 

8 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
Nebraska, Conservation and Survey Division, 1980a 

and d; University of Nebraska, Conservation and 

Survey Division, 1986), and available and measured 

water-level data were used to delineate the boundaries 

and estimate drainable volumes of water in the 

Dwight-Valparaiso, Crete-Princeton-Adams, and 

Waverly aquifers. Bedrock-surface altitudes were 

determined from test-hole data, logs from registered 

wells, and data from available bedrock maps. These 

altitudes were contoured manually and used to 

produce geographic information system (GIS) coverages representing the base of the aquifers. The baseof-aquifer coverages were compared to and, in places, 

modified to agree with interpretations produced by the 

University of Nebraska, Conservation and Survey 

Division (Vince Dreeszen, written commun., 1996). 

Water-level measurements were made by USGS 

personnel using a 200-ft steel tape with 0.01-ft increments in 37 wells in the western two-thirds of the LPS 

NRD during October 1994 to supplement semiannual 

measurements made by personnel of the LPS NRD. 

Because of the wet summer and limited ground-water 

withdrawals for irrigation that ended in mid-August 

1994, it was assumed that ground-water-level 

measurements made in October (about 2 months after 

the end of the irrigation season) were representative 

of an unstressed system. The 37 wells were nonrandomly selected from available registered irrigation 

wells to provide an areal distribution of water-level 

data for the area that includes three paleovalley alluvial aquifers. Land-surface altitudes for all waterlevel-altitude data points were determined to the 

nearest 5 ft using USGS 7.5-minute topographic maps. 

Coordinates for well locations were identified using a 

global positioning system (GPS) with a horizontal 

accuracy of 100–200 ft. 

As previously described, the Quaternary-age 

unconsolidated deposits in the study area contain 

ground water under a mixture of unconfined, semiconfined, and confined conditions. This complex 

hydrogeology limits the capability to describe waterlevel and saturated-thickness patterns in individual 

aquifers by using available data. Therefore, for 

purposes of this report, it was assumed that some 

hydraulic interconnection exists throughout the unconsolidated deposits and that the combined water-level 

data represent an approximation of the regional waterlevel surface (top of the saturated part of the deposits). 

It is likewise assumed that altitudes of perennial 

streams obtained from topographic maps are valid 

indicators of the general water table. Streams in the 

study area appear to be gaining throughout most of 

their reaches (Nebraska Department of Environmental 

Control and University of Nebraska Conservation and 

Survey Division, 1980c and 1980f; Goodenkauf, 1978; 

Holly, 1980), which indicates hydraulic connection 

with the unconsolidated deposits. A map of the water 

table was modified from the same sources using the 

ground-water-level altitudes and the topographic-mapderived perennial stream altitudes. That surface then 

was converted to a GIS coverage. 

A map of total saturated thickness of the unconsolidated deposits was modified from Nebraska 

Department of Environmental Control and University 

of Nebraska Conservation and Survey Division (1980b 

and 1980e) for the western two-thirds of the LPS 

NRD, which included the Dwight-Valparaiso, CretePrinceton-Adams, and Waverly aquifers. The map was 

developed by first overlaying the water-table and baseof-aquifer coverages and subtracting the corresponding altitudes. The resultant distribution of saturated thickness then was compared to the original 

(source) maps and modified appropriately. The total 

saturated thickness in the study area includes finetextured deposits such as glacial till and loess that have 

very low permeabilities and that yield little water. The 

total saturated thickness map was combined with testhole and well-log data describing sediment texture to 

determine the approximate lateral extents of the 

Dwight-Valparaiso, Crete-Princeton-Adams, and 

Waverly aquifers. Because of the complexity of the 

deposits, lateral limits of the aquifers were designated 

where the aquifer thickness diminished to less than 

40 ft of coarse-textured [sand and(or) gravel], saturated sediment. The volume of drainable water in each 

of the three aquifers was estimated by contouring the 

thickness of saturated sand and gravel deposits in each 

of the aquifers and multiplying the volume of those 

saturated deposits by an estimated storage coefficient. 

Ground-Water-Quality Sample Collection 

and Analysis 

Well Selection 

Sixty-one wells were selected for water-quality 

sample collection from the more than 500 registered 

irrigation, municipal, and industrial wells in the LPS 

NRD by using a modified stratified-random selection 

METHODS 9 
method. A preliminary estimate of the general boundaries of the five aquifers was made, and wells within 

these boundaries that were screened in deposits of 

Quaternary age were selected randomly. A distanceweighting factor was used to ensure a minimum 

distance of 1.5 mi between selected wells. In the Platte 

and Missouri River aquifers, where relatively few 

registered wells were present, all registered wells that 

met the spacing requirements were selected for watersample collection. Nonregistered domestic wells of 

known depths also were selected randomly for sample 

collection. Fifteen wells were identified for sample 

collection in each of the Dwight-Valparaiso, CretePrinceton-Adams, and Waverly aquifers, and eight 

wells were identified in both the Platte and Missouri 

River aquifers. Because of the relatively cool temperatures and the nearly 16 inches of rain that fell during 

the summer of 1994, many irrigation wells in the study 

area were operated infrequently or not at all. Therefore, water-quality samples were collected from only 

46 of the 61 selected wells. 

After water-quality samples were collected at 

the 46 wells, more detailed delineation of the approximate extent of the Dwight-Valparaiso, Crete-Princeton-Adams, and Waverly aquifers revealed that five of 

the sampled wells (DV–101, CPA–75B, CPA–83, 

W–66, and W–689) were just beyond the extents of 

the coarse-textured sediments of the three aquifers. 

Nonetheless, water samples from those five wells were 

considered to be representative of general waterquality conditions in the aquifers and were used in 

characterizing the water quality of the aquifers for this 

report. 

Site Identification 

Three different methods of site identification 

were used to identify wells in this report (fig. 3). The 

first method, USGS site identification, is a 15-character number derived from the international system 

of latitude and longitude. This number contains no 

blanks or alphabetic characters and generally is used 

as an internal control number. Although the site identification number is initially derived from the site location, the number is an IDENTIFIER and not a 

LOCATOR. The site identification number is a pure 

number and has no locational significance (Mathey, 

1990, p. 2–10). 

The second method, legal location, was assigned 

on the basis of land subdivisions in the U.S. Bureau of 

Land Management’s survey of Nebraska. The numeral 

preceding N (north) indicates the township, the 

numeral preceding E (east) indicates the range, and the 

numeral preceding the terminal letters indicates the 

section in which the well is located (fig. 3). The 

terminal letters, designated A, B, C, and D, denote the 

quarter section, the quarter-quarter section, the 

quarter-quarter-quarter section, and the quarterquarter-quarter-quarter section. The designation is 

given in a counter-clockwise fashion beginning with 

“A” in the northeast corner of each subdivision. If two 

or more wells exist in the same subdivision, they are 

distinguished by adding a sequential number to the 

well number. Sequential numbers are assigned by the 

order in which the wells are inventoried. For example, 

a well with a legal location of T13N R5E 15BBAB1 

should be in Township 13 North, Range 5 East, in 

Section 15, in quarter section B, quarter-quarter 

section B, quarter-quarter-quarter section A, quarterquarter-quarter-quarter section B, well 1 (fig. 3). 

The third method, local identification (ID) 

number, is based on the aquifer in which the well is 

completed. In the field identifications for all sampled 

wells, the first one to three letters denote the principal 

aquifer in which they are screened—DV for DwightValparaiso aquifer, CPA for Crete-Princeton-Adams 

aquifer, W for Waverly aquifer, PR for Platte River 

aquifer, and M for Missouri River aquifer. 

Water-Quality Sample Collection 

To ensure that water samples are representative 

of the aquifers, a minimum of three casing volumes of 

water were removed from wells prior to sample collection for water-quality analysis. Water samples generally were collected from irrigation and municipal wells 

after the pumps had been running for several hours to 

several days. The cool and wet conditions that 

prevailed during the summer of 1994 made it necessary to collect water samples from some irrigation 

wells that had not been pumped for many weeks. 

These wells were pumped for a minimum of 30 

minutes prior to sample collection, which removed 10 

or more casing volumes of water from most wells. 

Prior to sample collection, a flow-through chamber 

was used in conjunction with the appropriate field 

instruments to monitor pH, specific conductance, 

temperature, and dissolved oxygen in discharge water 

from the wells. Water samples were collected after the 

required volumes of water were discharged from the 

10 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
METHODS 11

Figure 3. Well-numbering system.
wells and after the field measurements, made during 

3-minute increments, had stabilized (no more than a 

5-percent change from the previous measurements). 

Water samples from all wells were analyzed for 

nitrite and nitrate as nitrogen, hereinafter to be referred 

to collectively as nitrate. Also, water samples from all 

sampled wells were screened for the presence of 

triazine herbicides using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay procedure (ELISA) (Pomes and others, 

1991), which nonselectively detects triazines and their 

metabolites, deethylatrazine and deisopropylatrazine. 

The water samples that tested positive for triazine 

herbicides were sent to the USGS National WaterQuality Laboratory (NWQL) in Arvada, Colorado, for 

further analysis. About 10 water samples from each of 

the Dwight-Valparaiso, Crete-Princeton-Adams, and 

Waverly aquifers and all of the water samples from the 

Platte and Missouri River aquifers also were analyzed 

for major ions, iron, manganese, and radon. 

Unfiltered water samples were collected directly 

from the well. Filtered samples were collected in a 6-L 

(liter) polypropylene churn splitter and pumped 

through the appropriate-sized filter using a peristaltic 

pump with Tygon tubing. The churn splitter was 

washed with Alconox in the laboratory and rinsed with 

distilled deionized water prior to use in the field. After 

the first use in the field, the churn splitter was rinsed 

10 times with discharge water from the well from 

which the next water samples were to be collected. 

Water samples collected for nitrate analysis were 

filtered through a 0.45-μm (micrometer) membrane 

filter, preserved with 0.5 mL (milliliter) mercuric chloride and hydrochloric acid, and immediately chilled to 

about 4°C (degrees Celsius). Water samples collected 

for metal analysis were filtered through 0.45-μmmembrane filters and adjusted to a pH of 2 or less with 

1 mL nitric acid. Water samples collected for anion 

analysis were filtered through a 0.45-μm-membrane 

filter and stored at ambient temperature without preservation. Water samples collected for pesticide analysis were filtered through a 0.7-μm glass filter into a 1­

L baked glass bottle with a polytetrafluoroethylenelined cap and immediately chilled to about 4°C. 

Laboratory Analyses 

The analyses for concentrations of all inorganic 

species were performed at the NWQL using methods 

described by Fishman and Friedman (1989). Metals 

were analyzed using atomic absorption and emission 

spectrometric methods. Inductively coupled plasma 

methods were used to analyze silica and chloride; a 

turbidimetric method was used for sulfate and an ionselective electrode method was used for fluoride. 

Nitrate was analyzed by cadmium reduction. Water 

samples were analyzed for radon using a liquid scintillation method. 

When the triazine-screening test indicated total 

triazine concentrations of 0.1 μg/L or more, a 1-L 

water sample was forwarded to the NWQL for gas 

chromatograph (GC)/mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. The method involves the solid-phase extraction of 

water sample, elution with hexane-isopropanol, and 

analysis by capillary-column GC/MS with selectedion monitoring (Sandstrom and others, 1991). 

Statistical Analyses 

Summary statistics were used to compare distributions of water-quality data among aquifers. 

Spearman’s rho statistic (Spearman, 1904; Conover, 

1971), a nonparametric correlation technique, was 

used to identify relations between selected waterquality constituents within and between aquifers. 

Because of the small sample sizes (10 or less) used to 

produce some of the Spearman’s rho statistics, only 

Spearman’s rho statistics that have a 95-percent or 

larger confidence level, as described by Yevjevich 

(1972), are included in this report. 

Quality Assurance and Quality Control 

A variety of quality-assurance and qualitycontrol techniques are part of every analysis 

performed at the NWQL. The following is a brief 

overview of some of the techniques used by the 

NWQL to ensure reliable, precise, and accurate analytical data (Jones, 1987). Bottles used for sample collection, the chemicals used for sample preservation, and 

the field filters are subject to quality control by the 

NWQL. The NWQL adheres to standard analytical 

methodologies and maintains strict protocols in 

handling both samples and analytical results. The 

NWQL maintains a series of checks and balances on 

analytical production such as the systematic inclusion 

of laboratory blanks and standards of known concentrations with each batch of field samples that are 

analyzed. 

The water-quality assurance program of the 

NWQL includes a laboratory blind-sample program in 

12 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
which blind quality-assurance samples are intermixed 

with field samples on a daily basis to verify the precision and accuracy of inorganic analyses. Additionally, 

the NWQL participates in USGS and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency interlaboratory evaluation 

programs in which laboratories throughout the Nation 

receive and analyze blind samples. Another qualityassurance check for major ions is the anion-cation 

balance. Because water is essentially neutrally 

charged, the sum of the positive charges should equal 

the sum of the negative charges for any water sample. 

If the ionic charges do not balance within a 5-percent 

difference, the NWQL reanalyzes the major anions 

and cations. 

The quality of field measurements for waterquality parameters was ensured through the calibration 

of field meters with standard reference materials at 

each site prior to the collection of water-quality 

samples. In addition, field quality-assurance samples 

were submitted for most analyses. About 5 percent of 

all samples submitted to the NWQL for analysis were 

replicate samples for one or more sites. The analysis of 

these samples provided an external check on the precision of the laboratory analyses. Repetitive sampling of 

the same sites over several weeks also makes it 

possible to compare new analyses with earlier ones as 

a means of identifying nonrepresentative samples. 

HYDROGEOLOGY 

This section describes the general hydrogeology 

of the western part of the LPS NRD and provides a 

more detailed description of the hydrogeology of the 

five principal aquifers—the Dwight-Valparaiso, CretePrinceton-Adams, Waverly, Platte River, and Missouri 

River aquifers. 

General Description of the Western Part of 

Lower Platte South Natural Resources 

District 

This section describes maps of the water table, 

bedrock geology and altitude of bedrock surface, and 

total saturated thickness of unconsolidated deposits of 

Quaternary age in the western part of the LPS NRD. 

Water Table 

Water-level data from 37 wells measured in 

October 1994 (table 3), water-level data gathered by 

LPS NRD personnel in the fall of 1994 from 31 wells, 

and altitudes of perennial streams were used to modify 

maps (Goodenkauf, 1978; Holly, 1980; Nebraska 

Department of Environmental Control and University 

of Nebraska Conservation and Survey Division, 1980c 

and 1980f) showing the altitude of the water table in 

the western part of the LPS NRD (fig. 4). The altitudes 

of the water table generally mirror the topography, 

with higher altitudes bordering the western, southern, 

and eastern edges of the western part of the LPS NRD 

(Nebraska Department of Environmental Control and 

University of Nebraska Conservation and Survey Division, 1980c and f). 

Base of Aquifers 

Bedrock units comprise the base of the principal 

aquifers in the study area. Bedrock units in the western 

part of the LPS NRD are the Dakota Sandstone and 

shale, limestone, and sandstone of Permian and Pennsylvanian age (fig. 5). The bedrock of Permian and 

Pennsylvanian age directly underlies Quaternary 

deposits in southeastern Lancaster County and western 

Cass County where the Dakota Sandstone is absent. 

The Carlile Shale, Greenhorn Limestone, and Graneros Shale are present in the southeastern part of 

Butler County where they overlie the Dakota Sandstone. The Graneros Shale is not officially recognized 

in Nebraska by the USGS, but it is recognized by the 

University of Nebraska–Lincoln. 

The bedrock surface in the study area is irregular and contains some incised valleys. Some valleys 

cut through the Dakota Sandstone and expose underlying Permian and Pennsylvanian rocks. The bedrock 

surface generally slopes from the west to the east. The 

highest bedrock altitude is about 1,350 ft above sea 

level and is along the western edge of the study area in 

Butler and Seward Counties. The lowest bedrock altitude is below 1,000 ft and is in northwestern Cass 

County and southern Lancaster County. 

A broad depression in the bedrock surface is in 

central Lancaster County, with a narrow paleochannel 

extending through northeastern Lancaster County and 

northwestern Cass County. This channel is incised into 

limestone and shale of Permian and Pennsylvanian age 

and contains the Waverly aquifer (fig. 1). 

HYDROGEOLOGY 13 
Table 3. Water-level data for wells completed in the western part of the Lower Platte South Natural 

Resources District, fall 1994 

[ID, identification; altitudes are relative to sea level] 

Depth to water Altitude of below land Site ID number Legal location Date measured water table surface 

(feet) (feet) 

Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer 

410234 096492301 12N 5E 2ACBB 

410102 096543101 12N 5E 18BB 

410611 096510201 13N 5E 15BBBB 

410535 096425301 13N 6E 14CCBA 

410509 096453601 13N 6E 20ABDD 

410522 096423801 13N 6E 23BABB 

410428 096442301 13N 6E 28AABB 

410800 096524201 14N 5E 32DCCD 

410345 096502301 13N 5E 27DCBD 

411050 096504501 14N 5E 15C 

410545 096373201 13N 7E 16DBAA 

410646 097001501 13N 4E 8BCCC 

410043 096480801 12N 5E 13ACAC 

405510 096481301 11N 5E 13DACB 

10–26–94 9.25 1,266 

10–26–94 8.33 1,314 

10–26–94 14.4 1,314 

10–19–94 15.3 1,240 

10–19–94 107 1,238 

10–19–94 10.9 1,224 

10–19–94 36.8 1,243 

10–26–94 26.0 1,364 

10–26–94 18.1 1,277 

10–26–94 156 1,374 

10–31–94 50.7 1,179 

10–31–94 247 1,403 

10–26–94 7.67 1,232 

10–31–94 42.6 1,204 

Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer 

403557 096455701 7N 6E 5DACC 

403505 096423401 7N 6E 11DACC 

403425 096425101 7N 6E 14DBBB 

403228 096444701 7N 6E 28DDBB 

403347 096320301 7N 8E 21BCAA 

403556 096441801 7N 6E 3CDBB 

403503 096515501 7N 5E 9DCBB 

403929 096581001 8N 4E 15CBCD 

404019 096485101 8N 5E 12CACC 

404614 096594801 9N 4E 8BAAA 

404422 096434701 9N 6E 22ABBC 

404234 096371301 9N 7E 34BACB 

403905 096433101 8N 6E 22AADB 

10–21–94 25.0 1,275 

10–20–94 83.3 1,307 

10–20–94 130 1,300 

10–20–94 172 1,300 

10–20–94 54.3 1,256 

10–21–94 84.5 1,303 

10–21–94 24.9 1,315 

10–24–94 25.3 1,342 

10–24–94 133 1,217 

10–24–94 191 1,281 

10–24–94 8.86 1,169 

11–01–94 237 1,173 

11–01–94 20.2 1,242 

Waverly aquifer 

410002 096232401 12N 9E 22AABA 

405755 096274901 12N 9E 31CBBB 

405324 096341001 11N 7E 25DDBA 

405636 096291501 11N 8E 11ABAA 

405632 096302501 11N 8E 10ABAD 

405544 096292501 11N 8E 11DCCD 

405842 096260901 12N 9E 29BDDD 

405404 096283501 11N 8E 24CDCA 

410114 096331701 12N 8E 8CBDA 

405228 096331801 11N 8E 32C 

10–19–94 18.7 1,082 

10–19–94 13.3 1,083 

10–12–94 11.2 1,120 

10–12–94 14.4 1,086 

10–12–94 23.2 1,089 

10–12–94 12.7 1,103 

10–19–94 8.84 1,079 

10–19–94 11.5 1,128 

10–31–94 5.89 1,124 

10–12–94 41.0 1,158 

14 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
HYDROGEOLOGY 15

O

O

O

Figure 4. Configuration of the water table in the western part of the Lower Platte South Natural 

Resources District, fall 1994.
97° 

40°35' 

41°05' 

96°30' 

0 5 10 MILES 

0 5 10 KILOMETERS 

Figure 5. Bedrock geology and altitude of top of bedrock surface in the western part of the Lower Platte South 

Natural Resources District. (The Graneros Shale is not officially recognized in Nebraska but is recognized by the 

University of Nebraska-Lincoln.) 

16 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
A second, deep channel in the bedrock surface 

lies along the southern end of Lancaster County and 

trends to the east-southeast. The base of this channel 

and the bedrock to the north and east of the channel 

are composed of shale, limestone, and sandstone of 

Permian and Pennsylvanian age. This channel contains 

the Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer (fig. 1). 

Two additional channels are cut into the bedrock 

surface through the southeastern corner of Butler 

County and through northern Lancaster and southern 

Saunders Counties. These channels trend to the east 

and are separated by a bedrock composed of Carlile 

Shale, Greenhorn Limestone, and Graneros Shale in 

Butler County. These channels contain the DwightValparaiso aquifer (fig. 1). 

Total Saturated Thickness 

The total saturated thickness of Quaternary-age 

deposits in the western part of the LPS NRD ranged 

from less than 50 to about 250 ft (fig. 6). The areas 

with the greatest total saturated thickness were in 

southeastern Butler and southwestern Saunders Counties and in southern Lancaster County. Total saturated 

thickness is largest in the channels in the bedrock 

surface that correspond with the Dwight-Valparaiso 

and Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifers. Conversely, 

areas with very limited total saturated thickness corresponded mostly with topographic highs in the underlying bedrock surface. Because much of the total 

saturated thickness of Quaternary-age deposits is 

composed of fine-textured materials, such as glacial 

till, that have low permeabilities, areas containing 

significant thicknesses (40 continuous feet or more) of 

more permeable sand and gravel deposits were delineated (fig. 6) and helped to identify practical boundaries of the Dwight-Valparaiso, Crete-PrincetonAdams, and Waverly aquifers. 

Description of Principal Aquifers 

Dwight-Valparaiso Aquifer 

The Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer within the LPS 

NRD is a semiconfined to confined aquifer overlying 

rocks of Cretaceous age and is separated by a bedrock 

into two parts. The southern part occupies about 

97 mi2, and the northern part occupies about 42 mi2 

(figs. 1, 6, and 7). Total saturated thickness in this area 

ranges from about 50 to 275 ft, with the largest thickness along the western and northern boundaries of the 

LPS NRD. Depth to water below land surface ranges 

from less than 10 ft along the southern edge of the 

aquifer to about 250 ft near the western edge of the 

aquifer. The sand and gravel deposits in the aquifer are 

about 40 to 100 ft thick and commonly are overlain by 

relatively thick glacial till and some loess deposits. 

Sand and gravel deposits occupy about 

6,700,000 acre-ft of the aquifer, as determined during 

this study, based on the thickness and extent of the 

sand and gravel deposits. About 20 percent of this 

volume is drainable water. The volume of water that is 

released from storage per unit surface-area of aquifer 

per unit decline in head is called the storage coefficient. Given a storage coefficient of 0.20, a typical 

value for an unconfined to semiconfined aquifer 

(Freeze and Cherry, 1979) and similar to the storage 

coefficient determined by Holly (1980) for the 

southern part of the aquifer, the estimated volume of 

drainable water in the sand and gravel deposits of the 

aquifer is about 1,340,000 acre-ft. Unconfined conditions were assumed because the water table would 

have to be lowered beneath the semiconfining and 

confining layers of the sand and gravel deposits for 

significant volumes of water to be released from 

storage. Such a decline in head would cause the 

aquifer to behave as an unconfined system. Some 

water also is stored in the finer textured deposits overlying the sand and gravel deposits, but little of that 

water would be released from storage as the head 

declines. 

Crete-Princeton-Adams Aquifer 

The Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer is along the 

southern border of Lancaster County and is semiconfined to confined. The aquifer occupies about 115 mi2 

beneath the southern part of the LPS NRD (fig. 1). The 

aquifer trends from west to east beneath parts of 

Lancaster and bordering counties (figs. 1 and 6). Total 

saturated thickness in this area ranges from about 50 to 

more than 250 ft and generally increases from west to 

east as the bedrock altitude decreases to the east 

(fig. 6). Depth to water ranges from about 9 to 237 ft 

and increases from north to south as land-surface altitude increases. 

Because of the complex layering of glacial till, 

loess, sand, and gravel and the limited number of wells 

that penetrate the entire thickness of the aquifer, only 

an approximation of the volume of drainable ground 

HYDROGEOLOGY 17 
97° 

0 5 10 MILES 

0 5 10 KILOMETERS 

40°35' 

41°05' 

96°30' 

Figure 6. Total saturated thickness of Quaternary-age deposits and distribution of deposits composed 

of 40 or more feet of sand and gravel in the western part of the Lower Platte South Natural Resources 

District, fall 1994. 

18 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
water in storage for the part of the aquifer that lies 

within the LPS NRD is possible. The volume of sand 

and gravel in the aquifer that lies in the study area is 

about 7,700,000 acre-ft. Assuming a storage coefficient of 0.20, the estimated volume of drainable 

ground water is about 1,540,000 acre-ft. 

Waverly Aquifer 

The Waverly aquifer is semiconfined to 

confined and extends about 18 mi from northeast of 

Lincoln to the Platte River. It has a maximum width of 

about 2 mi and mostly overlies rocks of Permian and 

Pennsylvanian age. The aquifer occupies about 25 mi2 

in the LPS NRD (fig. 7). Average total saturated thickness in this area is about 75 ft. Depth to water ranges 

from about 6 to 41 ft (table 3). The sand and gravel 

deposits that compose most of the water-yielding 

potential of the Waverly aquifer are from about 40 to 

65 ft thick and have an estimated volume of 

860,000 acre-ft. Assuming a storage coefficient of 

0.20 for unconfined aquifers, an estimated 

172,000 acre-ft of water is drainable. 

Platte River Aquifer 

The Platte River aquifer is an unconfined alluvial aquifer and extends about 30 mi east from the 

southeastern corner of Saunders County to the confluence of the Platte River with the Missouri River 

(fig. 1). The lateral boundaries of the Platte River 

aquifer are controlled by the edges of the flood plain 

(fig. 8). Most of the Platte River aquifer lies north of 

the Platte River, just outside of the LPS NRD northern 

boundary. The parts of the aquifer that lie in the LPS 

NRD are narrow (less than 0.25 to about 1 mi wide) 

and nodular in shape. The aquifer overlies rocks of 

Cretaceous and Permian and Pennsylvanian age and 

consists of fluvial sand, gravel, and silt deposits. The 

aquifer has a relatively uniform thickness of about 

70 ft, and the depth to water ranges from about 5 to 

10 ft. 

Missouri River Aquifer 

The Missouri River aquifer is a largely unconfined aquifer that extends south about 32 mi from the 

Platte River confluence through the northeastern 

corner of Otoe County in the LPS NRD (fig. 1). The 

Missouri River aquifer in the LPS NRD is underlain 

by rocks of Permian and Pennsylvanian age, and its 

lateral extent is controlled by the extent of the flood 

plain on the western bank of the Missouri River (also 

the eastern LPS NRD boundary). The Missouri River 

aquifer is nodular in shape and its width varies from 

less than 0.25 mi to about 3 mi. The aquifer consists of 

fluvial sand, gravel, and silt deposits with some clay 

lenses locally. The Missouri River aquifer thickness is 

about 80 ft, and the depth to water is about 5 to 10 ft. 

GROUND-WATER QUALITY

 The following is a discussion of the results of 

field measurements and chemical analyses for water 

samples collected from wells in the five principal aquifers (figs. 7 and 8) during the summer of 1994. 

Field Measurements 

Specific conductance is a measure of the electrical conductivity of water and is directly proportional 

to the concentration of dissolved material in the water. 

The specific conductance of water samples collected 

from the 46 wells ranged from 399 to 2,040 μS/cm 

(tables 4 and 5 in the Appendix). The smallest median 

values for specific conductance were from the Platte 

River (629 μS/cm) and the Waverly (635 μS/cm) 

aquifers. The largest specific conductance measurements were from water samples from the Crete-Princeton-Adams (2,040 μS/cm) and the Missouri River 

(1,140 μS/cm) aquifers. Large specific conductance 

values in the Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer were 

associated with large concentrations of sodium and 

chloride. Water samples from the Missouri River 

aquifer with large values for specific conductance also 

had large concentrations of calcium and magnesium 

and high alkalinity. 

The pH ranged from 6.8 to 7.8, and water 

temperature at the time of collection varied from 12.0 

to 17.0° C. Neither measurement showed apparent 

patterns among the aquifers or associations with other 

water-quality parameters measured or analyzed during 

this study. 

Concentrations of dissolved oxygen in water 

samples ranged from 0.1 to 13.5 mg/L. The smallest 

median dissolved oxygen concentrations, 0.8 and 

1.3 mg/L, were from the Platte River and Missouri 

River aquifers, respectively (table 4). These values 

correspond to large concentrations of iron and 

GROUND-WATER QUALITY 19 
’ 

’ ’ 

-

Figure 7. Approximate extent of the Dwight-Valparaiso, Crete-Princeton-Adams, and Waverly aquifers, and the 

locations of wells used for water-quality sampling in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, 1994. 

20 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
, 

o 

o 

, 

Figure 8. Approximate extent and saturated thickness of the Platte and Missouri River aquifers and the locations of wells 

used for water-quality sampling in the eastern part of the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, 1994. 

GROUND-WATER QUALITY 21 
manganese measured in water samples from these 

aquifers. Such conditions generally indicate a reducing 

chemical environment. 

Alkalinity is a measure of the capacity of water 

to neutralize acid and is reported as milligrams per 

liter of calcium carbonate. The alkalinity of ground 

water in Nebraska is related to the presence of calcium 

carbonate minerals in the aquifers (Engberg, 1984). 

The largest alkalinity values were measured in water 

samples collected from the Missouri River aquifer 

(528 mg/L) (table 4). 

Major Ions and Dissolved Solids 

Most of the water samples from the study area 

were a calcium carbonate to a calcium-magnesiumsodium carbonate water type (fig. 9). The water types 

for the Dwight-Valparaiso, Crete-Princeton-Adams, 

and Waverly aquifers plotted in the same general locations on the trilinear diagrams, with the exception of 

several water samples from the Crete-PrincetonAdams aquifer that plotted as calcium-carbonate to 

sodium-chloride water types. Water-quality data from 

the Platte River aquifer plotted in a similar location on 

the trilinear diagram as surface-water-quality data 

from the Platte River at Louisville (Boohar and others, 

1995). Water-quality data from the Missouri River 

aquifer tended to have small percentages of sodium 

and chloride and did not plot in the same location on 

trilinear diagrams as data from the Missouri River near 

Omaha (Melcher and others, 1987), which was 

collected in 1986. Water-quality data from the Platte 

River aquifer tended to indicate larger percentages of 

sodium and chloride than data from the Missouri River 

aquifer and the paleovalley aquifers. 

Calcium was the dominant cation in all water 

samples with concentrations ranging from 45 to 

140 mg/L and had a median concentration of 90 mg/L 

(table 4). The largest median concentration of calcium 

was detected in water samples from the Missouri River 

aquifer (120 mg/L). The smallest median concentration was detected in water samples from the Platte 

River aquifer (64 mg/L).

 Concentrations of magnesium were similar in 

most water samples; the median concentration was 

21 mg/L. Water samples from the Missouri River 

aquifer had the largest median concentration 

(32 mg/L) and water samples from the Platte River 

aquifer had the smallest median concentration 

(16 mg/L). 

Concentrations of sodium in water samples 

ranged from 8.8 to 240 mg/L and had a median 

concentration of 32 mg/L. Although concentrations 

of sodium were small in most water samples, two 

samples from relatively deep wells in the CretePrinceton-Adams aquifer had sodium concentrations 

that exceeded 100 mg/L. In general, however, concentrations of sodium were not associated with well depth 

in any of the five aquifers. 

Concentrations of potassium were small (less 

than 15 mg/L) in most water samples and also showed 

no relation to well depth. Water samples with concentrations of potassium larger than 10 mg/L were generally from wells near the edges of the DwightValparaiso and Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifers and 

may be influenced by minerals in rocks adjacent to the 

aquifers. 

Concentrations of sulfate in water samples from 

the five aquifers ranged from 5.9 to 160 mg/L and had 

a median concentration of 51 mg/L. Sulfate concentrations in water samples did not exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (1994) Secondary 

Maximum Contaminant Level (SMCL) of 250 mg/L 

from any of the aquifers. Concentrations of sulfate 

increased proportionally with increased well depth 

in the Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer (Spearman's 

rho 0.86) and decreased with increasing well depth in 

the Missouri River aquifer (Spearman's rho –0.81). 

Sulfate did not show any associations at the 95-percent 

confidence level with well depth or location in the 

remaining three aquifers. 

Concentrations of chloride ranged from 1.4 to 

390 mg/L and had a median concentration of 

9.2 mg/L. The largest concentrations of chloride, 170 

and 390 mg/L, were from water samples collected 

from the Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer (fig. 10). The 

larger of these two concentrations exceeded the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency's (1994) SMCL of 

250 mg/L. Generally the largest concentrations of 

chloride were in mineralized water with the largest 

concentrations of dissolved solids. Concentrations of 

chloride were directly associated with concentrations 

of sodium in the Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer and 

Platte River aquifer (Spearman's rho 0.80 and 1.00, 

respectively). In all but the Waverly aquifer, larger 

concentrations of chloride were common in water with 

small concentrations of dissolved oxygen and nitrate. 

22 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
GROUND-WATER QUALITY 23

Figure 9. Ionic composition of ground water by aquifer, in percentage reacting value: A. Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer; B. CretePrinceton-Adams aquifer; C. Waverly aquifer; D. Platte River aquifer; and E. Missouri River aquifer, 1994.
24 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 Figure 10. Distribution of well depth and selected chemical constituents by aquifer in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, 1994. 

WELL DEPTH, IN FEET DISSOLVED SOLIDS, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 

CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION, 

NITRATE AS N, IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 

RADON CONCENTRATION, SILICA CONCENTRATION, IN PICOCURIES PER LITER IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITER 
Concentrations of fluoride varied little in water 

samples from the five aquifers. The median concentration of fluoride was 0.3 mg/L. The largest concentrations of fluoride (0.6 to 0.8 mg/L) were measured in 

water samples from scattered locations in the CretePrinceton-Adams aquifer. Concentrations of fluoride 

did not appear to be associated with well depth or 

location in the Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer, nor 

was fluoride closely correlated with other waterquality measurements or constituents in the five aquifers. 

Concentrations of silica ranged from 18 to 

64 mg/L in the five aquifers and had a median concentration of 34 mg/L (table 4 and fig. 10). Water samples 

from the Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer had the largest 

median concentration of silica (48 mg/L). Concentrations of silica in samples showed no significant correlation with well depth in samples collected from the 

five aquifers. 

Median concentrations of iron and manganese 

for individual aquifers ranged from less than 3 to 

13,000 μg/L and from less than 1 to 3,600 μg/L, 

respectively (table 4). The largest median concentrations and the largest maximum concentrations of iron 

and manganese were from the Missouri River and 

Platte River aquifers where local redox conditions may 

promote large dissolved concentrations of iron and 

manganese while limiting concentrations of dissolved 

oxygen and nitrate. In the Missouri River aquifer, 

concentrations of iron generally decreased with 

increases in well depth (Spearman’s rho –0.80) and 

with increases in concentrations of dissolved oxygen 

(Spearman’s rho –0.80). Concentrations of iron 

increased with increases in concentrations of alkalinity, silica, and radon (Spearman’s rho 0.80, 1.00, 

and 0.79, respectively). 

Concentrations of dissolved solids in water 

samples, the sum of all dissolved major ions, ranged 

from 262 to 1,100 mg/L with a median of 430 mg/L 

for the five aquifers (table 4 and fig. 10). This range of 

concentrations was similar to those reported by 

Lawton and others (1984) in water samples from the 

Dakota Sandstone in the Lincoln area. 

Concentrations of dissolved solids in the 

Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer ranged from 262 to 

545 mg/L and showed no correlation with well depth. 

Although the distribution of sampling sites in the 

Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer is not uniform, it appears 

that concentrations of dissolved solids in ground-water 

samples generally increase from the eastern to the 

western part of the aquifer. 

The Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer contained 

the most mineralized water samples with a median 

dissolved-solids concentration of 520 mg/L and a 

maximum concentration of 1,100 mg/L. Median 

concentrations of dissolved solids for the CretePrinceton-Adams aquifer (520 mg/L) and the Missouri 

River aquifer (540 mg/L) exceeded the SMCL for 

public water supplies of 500 mg/L (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1994). The CretePrinceton-Adams aquifer had the two largest concentrations of dissolved solids, 701 and 1,100 mg/L. The 

large concentrations of dissolved solids in these 

samples were the result of correspondingly large 

concentrations of sodium, sulfate, and chloride. 

The ground water generally becomes more 

mineralized with depth in the Crete-Princeton-Adams 

aquifer as indicated by the positive correlation of 

dissolved solids with depth (Spearman's rho 0.75). The 

residence time of ground water is much longer at 

greater depths, and the extended exposure of the water 

to minerals in the aquifer presumably may increase the 

concentrations of dissolved solids in the water. 

Concentrations of dissolved solids in water 

samples from the Waverly aquifer ranged from 346 to 

608 mg/L and did not appear to be strongly associated 

with well depth. Concentrations of dissolved solids 

and corresponding values of specific conductance 

appear to be larger in the southwestern part of the 

aquifer than in the northeastern part. 

Concentrations of dissolved solids in the 

Missouri River aquifer, which ranged from 371 to 

684 mg/L, appear to decrease with depth. This inverse 

relation between dissolved solids and well depth could 

be caused by evaporation of irrigation water or flood 

water on the land surface, which would concentrate 

dissolved minerals in the water that recharges the 

upper part of the aquifer. 

Nitrate 

Concentrations of nitrate in ground-water 

samples from the five aquifers ranged from less than 

0.05 to 23 mg/L and had a median value of 1.2 mg/L 

(table 4 and fig. 10). Only 6 of 46 water samples 

(13 percent of the samples collected) contained 

concentrations of nitrate that exceeded the Maximum 

Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 mg/L for public 

drinking water (U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, 1994). 

GROUND-WATER QUALITY 25 
Concentrations of nitrate in ground water from 

the five aquifers did not show a strong correlation 

with any of the field measurements or inorganic 

constituents. Concentrations of nitrate from the five 

aquifers did, however, show a negative correlation 

with concentrations of iron and manganese 

(Spearman’s rho –0.71 and –0.71, respectively). 

Concentrations of nitrate in the DwightValparaiso aquifer ranged from less than 0.05 to 

11 mg/L and had a median concentration of 1.9 mg/L 

(table 4). The only water sample to exceed the MCL of 

10 mg/L was from a domestic well with a depth of 

76 ft, the shallowest of the sampled wells in the 

aquifer. Water samples from two additional wells 

contained concentrations of nitrate larger than 5 mg/L. 

Concentrations of nitrate were not correlated significantly with other water-quality constituents. 

The median concentration of nitrate in the 

Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer was 0.31 mg/L, and 

only two water samples collected from wells in this 

aquifer had nitrate concentrations that exceeded the 

MCL. The largest concentration of nitrate, 23 mg/L, 

was in a domestic well 45 ft deep, the shallowest of the 

sampled wells in the aquifer. Most, but not all, of the 

nitrate concentrations larger than 5 mg/L were in 

water samples collected from wells that were less than 

200 ft deep. 

Concentrations of nitrate from the CretePrinceton-Adams aquifer were positively correlated 

with dissolved oxygen (Spearman’s rho 0.83), which 

was generally larger in samples from shallower wells. 

Concentrations of nitrate were correlated negatively 

with dissolved-solids concentrations (Spearman’s 

rho –0.78). The small concentrations of nitrate in this 

aquifer are probably a function of the greater well 

depths (median well depth was 216 ft) compared to the 

other aquifers and the presence of locally confining 

layers of sediment in the aquifer. 

Three of the six water samples that contained 

concentrations of nitrate larger than 10 mg/L were 

collected from the Waverly aquifer. The median 

concentration of nitrate in ground water in the Waverly 

aquifer was 3.3 mg/L. Although not very large, this 

concentration was 3 to 10 times larger than the median 

concentrations of nitrate in water samples from the 

other aquifers. The Waverly aquifer has the shallowest 

depth to water of the paleovalley aquifers, which may 

explain the large concentrations of nitrate. Most of the 

ground-water samples with the largest nitrate concentrations were from wells in the southwestern part of 

the Waverly aquifer. 

Most concentrations of nitrate in the Platte River 

aquifer were quite small, ranging from less than 0.05 

to 6.5 mg/L with a median concentration of 

0.78 mg/L. Wells in the Platte River aquifer are generally less than 60 ft deep (fig. 10) and are close enough 

to the river for the chemistry of the water samples to 

be influenced by recharge water from the river. The 

median concentration of nitrate in the Platte River near 

Louisville (fig. 1) from 1992 to 1995 was 1.20 mg/L 

(Frenzel and others, 1998), which generally agrees 

with concentrations from the Platte River aquifer. 

Concentrations of nitrate in the Missouri River 

aquifer were the smallest of the five aquifers. Concentrations of nitrate ranged from less than 0.05 to 

4.2 mg/L and had a median concentration of 0.06 

mg/L (table 5 and fig. 10). The largest concentration 

of nitrate was detected in a water sample collected 

from a domestic well with a depth of about 30 ft. 

Concentrations of nitrate in these ground-water 

samples showed no correlations with concentrations of 

other constituents. The general absence of significant 

concentrations of nitrate in the Missouri River aquifer 

may be the result of local clay deposits near the top of 

the alluvial aquifer that inhibit leaching of nitrogen 

from agricultural sources into the ground water or may 

reflect local chemical reducing conditions in the 

aquifer. Also, the aquifer may be affected by water 

from the Missouri River, which contains very small 

concentrations of nitrate (Melcher and others, 1987). 

Radon 

Radon-222 is a radioactive gas produced from 

the decay of radium-226, which in turn is produced by 

the decay of naturally occurring uranium-238. Radon222 has a half-life of 3.8 days, the longest of the radon 

isotopes, and therefore is the only radon isotope of 

environmental importance (Hem, 1985). The source of 

dissolved radon-222 (hereinafter referred to as radon) 

in ground water is frequently the decay product of 

minerals containing radium-226 in the aquifer. 

Because radon is a gas, it is very soluble in water and 

is transported easily to the water from the sediment in 

which it was formed. 

Concentrations of radon in the five aquifers 

ranged from 110 to 1,200 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) 

(table 5 and fig. 10). The median concentration of 

26 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
radon was 300 pCi/L. The concentration of 300 pCi/L 

also is the proposed MCL for radon in drinking water 

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1994). Water 

samples from the Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer had 

the largest concentration of radon among the five aquifers—a median concentration of radon of 440 pCi/L. 

All water samples collected from the Crete-PrincetonAdams aquifer that were analyzed for radon had 

concentrations that exceeded the proposed MCL. The 

median concentration for the Waverly aquifer was 

390 pCi/L. The Missouri River aquifer was the only 

aquifer of the five that contained no water samples 

with radon concentrations above the proposed MCL 

(table 4). Concentrations of radon did not show any 

correlation with well depth, field measurements, or 

other chemical constituents, using Spearman's rho. 

Herbicides 

Using ELISA, all water samples were screened 

for the presence of triazine herbicides. Thirty-three of 

the 46 ground-water samples were submitted for 

GC/MS analysis, and six of those samples contained 

detectable concentrations of triazine herbicides or 

related compounds (tables 4 and 5). The compounds 

detected were atrazine, a preplant and pre-emergence 

herbicide used to control grasses and broadleaf weeds 

in corn; deethylatrazine and deisopropylatrazine, 

metabolites of atrazine; metolachlor, a preplant and 

pre-emergence herbicide for control of grasses and 

broadleaf weeds in corn and soybeans; and metribuzin, 

a pre-emergence herbicide used to control grasses and 

broadleaf weeds in soybeans (table 4). With the exception of one metolachlor concentration of 3.00 μg/L, all 

of the measured herbicide concentrations were less 

than 1.00 μg/L. 

None of the six water samples contained 

concentrations of herbicides that exceeded the MCLs 

for drinking water. These water samples were 

collected from irrigation (3), domestic (1), industrial 

(1), and municipal (1) wells in four of the five aquifers. The irrigation and domestic wells were in areas 

where irrigated corn and soybean fields were the 

dominant land use. The municipal and industrial wells 

that contained detectable concentrations of atrazine 

and its metabolites were in the Platte River aquifer 

near the river. The herbicides present in these water 

samples could be from recharge to the aquifer from the 

Platte River during spring and early summer runoff 

events when herbicide concentrations in the river can 

exceed 30 μg/L (Stamer and Huntzinger, 1994). Four 

of the six wells in which herbicides were detected 

were less than 100 ft deep. 

Quality-Assurance Results 

Replicate analyses were performed for 12 

constituents in water samples that were collected at 

one to three of the 46 sample-collection sites during 

July and August of 1994 (table 6). The average percent 

difference between the initial and replicate samples 

ranged from 0 to 50 percent, and the mean percent 

difference was 12.8. With the exception of concentrations of iron, all constituents with average percent 

differences larger than 15 percent had maximum variation in concentrations of less than two units (mg/L or 

μg/L). Thus, the precision for all of the analyses 

except iron is considered acceptable. 

Examination of the data indicates that one of the 

pairs of regular and replicate iron analyses is suspect 

(less than 3 and 130 μg/L). Concentrations of the 

remaining pair of regular and replicate iron samples 

were identical (780 μg/L). This apparent inconsistency 

Table 6. Results of replicate ground-water-quality analyses 

for major ions, selected metals, and nitrate in the Lower 

Platte South Natural Resources District, summer 1994 

[All concentrations are in milligrams per liter except iron and manganese; 

μg/L, micrograms per liter] 

Average Maximum percent variation Number difference in concen- Constituent of paired in concen­ trations samples trations of paired of paired samples samples 

Alkalinity, as 2 6 32 

CaCO3 

Calcium 2 4 4 

Magnesium 2 12 4 

Sodium 2 8 8 

Potassium 2 17 1.7 

Sulfate 1 0 0 

Chloride 2 1 .2 

Fluoride 2 22 .2 

Silica 2 8 5 

Iron, in μg/L 2 50 127 

Manganese, in μg/L 2 25 .5 

Nitrate 3 1 .1 

GROUND-WATER QUALITY 27 
in analyses of iron increases the uncertainty of concentrations for individual water samples; however, statistical summaries of concentrations of iron for 

individual aquifers are considered valid. 

CONSIDERATIONS FOR FUTURE 

GROUND-WATER-QUALITY MONITORING 

The results of this study could be useful in 

designing future ground-water quality monitoring in 

the LPS NRD. A network of available wells used for 

sample collection during this study, in addition to a 

pattern of spatially distributed wells screened in the 

Dakota Sandstone, could be used to provide long-term 

water-quality data in the LPS NRD. Additional wells 

either could be identified or drilled to provide 

increased information from the western and northern 

parts of the Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer and in the 

northern and western parts of the Crete-PrincetonAdams aquifer. Because of little use of the Missouri 

River aquifer for drinking-water supply in the study 

area, the installation of additional water-quality monitoring wells may not be as warranted in that area. 

Water samples could be collected from this 

network of wells periodically (for example, about 

every 3 years) to determine temporal variations in 

fields measurements and in concentrations of nitrate 

and radon. It also may be useful to install three nested 

monitoring wells (screened at different depths) in the 

Waverly aquifer to allow determination of vertical and 

seasonal variations in concentrations of nitrate. Water 

samples could be collected from the nested wells 

either monthly or bimonthly, for example. Periodically 

(for example, every 3 years), water samples could be 

collected and analyzed for triazine and other 

commonly used herbicides. 

Follow-up water-quality collection and analyses 

for radon could be performed in areas that had 

elevated radon concentrations in the initial waterquality samples, especially from wells used for public 

water supply. The areal extent of locations with 

elevated concentrations of radon (larger than 

300 pCi/L) in the five aquifers also could be determined through the collection and analysis of additional water samples. 

SUMMARY 

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with 

the LPS NRD, conducted a hydrogeologic and waterquality reconnaissance study of the five principal aquifers in deposits of Quaternary age in the LPS NRD. 

The purpose of the study was to delineate the approximate extent of the aquifers, estimate volumes of drainable water in three aquifers, provide information that 

could be useful in designing future ground-waterquality monitoring, and determine baseline waterquality conditions in the aquifers with an emphasis on 

nitrate concentrations. 

The approximate lateral boundaries of the 

Dwight-Valparaiso, Crete-Princeton-Adams, and 

Waverly aquifers were defined as areas in which the 

thicknesses of continuous sand and gravel deposits 

were less than 40 ft. The three aquifers were determined to occupy about 97, 115, and 25 mi2, respectively. Using a storage coefficient of 0.20, estimates of 

drainable water in the sand and gravel strata of the 

three aquifers were 1,340,000; 1,540,000; and 

172,000 acre-ft, respectively. 

Water samples were collected from 46 wells in 

the five principal aquifers during the summer of 1994. 

These samples were analyzed for nitrate and screened 

for triazine herbicides. Additionally, water samples 

from 39 of these wells were analyzed for major ions, 

iron, and manganese, and 35 were analyzed for radon. 

Water samples had specific conductances of 399 

to 2,040 μS/cm and were a calcium carbonate to a 

calcium-magnesium-sodium carbonate type. The 

Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer contained the most 

mineralized water samples with a median dissolvedsolids concentration of 520 mg/L and a maximum 

concentration of 1,100 mg/L. Relatively large concentrations of sodium and chloride were measured in 

water samples from some of the deeper wells in the 

Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer. One water sample 

from the Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer had chloride 

concentrations in excess of the SMCL established by 

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Median 

concentrations of iron and manganese for individual 

aquifers ranged from less than 3 to 13,000 and from 

less than 1 to 3,600 μg/L, respectively. 

Concentrations of nitrate in water samples 

ranged from less than 0.05 to 23 mg/L. The largest 

median concentration of nitrate, 3.3 mg/L, was from 

the Waverly aquifer, which contained three of the six 

28 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
water samples that exceeded the primary MCL for 

drinking water. 

Concentrations of radon ranged from 110 to 

1,200 pCi/L in ground-water samples from the five 

principal aquifers. The median concentration of radon 

was 300 pCi/L, which is the proposed MCL for 

drinking water. Water samples from the CretePrinceton-Adams and Waverly aquifers had the largest 

concentrations of radon among the five aquifers and 

had median concentrations of 440 and 390 pCi/L, 

respectively. 

Triazine and related herbicides were detected in 

six water samples from four of the five aquifers. None 

of the herbicide concentrations exceeded the MCL for 

drinking water. Atrazine, metabolites of atrazine, 

metolachlor, and metribuzin were detected in concentrations generally less than 1.00 μg/L. 

REFERENCES 

Boohar, H.A., Hoy, C.G., and Jelinek, F.J., 1995, Water 

resources data—Nebraska—water year 1994: 

U.S. Geological Survey Water-Data Report NE–94–1, 

421 p. 

Condra, G.E., and Reed, E.C., 1959, The geologic section of 

Nebraska: Nebraska Geological Survey Bulletin 

No. 14A, 82 p. 

Conover, W.J., 1971, Practical nonparametric statistics: 

New York, John Wiley and Sons, 493 p. 

Ellis, M.J., Engberg, R.A., Kastner, W.M., and Steele, E.K., 

Jr., 1985, Nebraska ground-water resources, in 

National water summary 1984—Hydrologic events, 

selected water-quality trends, and ground-water 

resources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply 

Paper 2275, p. 291–290. 

Engberg, R.A., 1984, Appraisal of data for ground-water 

quality in Nebraska: U.S. Geological Survey WaterSupply Paper 2245, 54 p. 

Exner, M.E., and Spalding, R.F., 1990, Occurrence of pesticides and nitrate in Nebraska's ground water: Water 

Center, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, 

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 34 p. 

Fenneman, N.M., 1946, Physical divisions of the United 

States: U.S. Geological Survey map, scale 1:7,000,000, 

1 sheet. 

Fishman, J.J., and Friedman, L.C. (eds.), 1989, Methods for 

determination of inorganic substances in water and 

fluvial sediments: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques 

of Water-Resources Investigations, book 5, chap. A1, 

545 p. 

Freeze, R.A., and Cherry, J.A., 1979, Groundwater: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 604 p. 

Frenzel, S.A., Swanson, R.B., Huntzinger, T.L., Stamer, 

J.K., Emmons, P.J., and Zelt, R.B., 1998, Water quality 

in the Central Nebraska Basins, Nebraska, 1992–95: 

U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1163, 33 p. 

Goodenkauf, Owen, 1978, The groundwater geology of 

southern Lancaster County, Nebraska: Lincoln, 

University of Nebraska, Master’s thesis, 117 p. 

Hem, J.D., 1985, Study and interpretation of chemical characteristics of natural water: U.S. Geological Survey 

Water-Supply Paper 2254, 263 p. 

Holly, D.E., 1980, Hydrogeology of northern Lancaster 

County, Nebraska: Lincoln, University of Nebraska, 

Master’s thesis, 370 p. 

Johnson, A.I., 1967, Specific yield—compilation of specific 

yield for various materials: U.S. Geological Survey 

Water-Supply Paper 1662–D, 74 p. 

Jones, B.E., 1987, Quality control manual of the 

U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality 

Laboratory: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File 

Report 87–457, 17 p. 

Lawton, D.R., Goodenkauf, Owen, Hanson, B.V., and 

Smith, F.A., 1984, Dakota aquifers in eastern 

Nebraska, aspects of water quality and use, in Geohydrology of the Dakota aquifer: Proceedings of the first 

C.V. Theis Conference on Geohydrology, March 1984. 

Mathey, S.B., ed., 1990, Ground-water site inventory 

system, v. 2, chap. 4, in National water information 

system user’s manual: U.S. Geological Survey OpenFile Report 89–587, 288 p. 

Melcher, N.B., Detroy, M.G., Matthes, W.J., and Karsten, 

R.A., 1987, Water resources data—Iowa, water year 

1986: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Data Report 

IA–86–1, 333 p. 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1994a, 

Climatological data annual summary, Nebraska, 1994: 

Asheville, North Carolina, U.S. Department of 

Commerce, v. 99, no. 13, 31 p. 

———1994b, Climatological data, Nebraska, Apr.–Sept.: 

Asheville, North Carolina, U.S. Department of 

Commerce, v. 99, no. 4–9. 

National Uranium Resource Evaluation Program, 1981, 

Hydrogeochemical and stream sediment reconnaissance basic data for Lincoln NTMS quadrangle, 

Nebraska; Kansas: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, National 

Uranium Resource Evaluation Program Report 

Number K/UR–152, 142 p., 9 pls. 

Nebraska Department of Agriculture, 1994, Nebraska agricultural statistics, 1993–94: Nebraska Agricultural 

Statistics Service, 158 p. 

REFERENCES 29 
Nebraska Department of Environmental Control and 

University of Nebraska Conservation and Survey Division, 1980a, Configuration of base of principal aquifer, 

1979, Lincoln and Nebraska City Quadrangle, 

Nebraska: University of Nebraska Conservation and 

Survey Division map, scale 1:250,000, 1 sheet. 

———1980b, Thickness of principal aquifer, 1979, Lincoln 

and Nebraska City Quadrangle, Nebraska: University 

of Nebraska Conservation and Survey Division map, 

scale 1:250,000, 1 sheet. 

———1980c, Configuration of the water table, spring 

1979, Lincoln and Nebraska City Quadrangle, 

Nebraska: University of Nebraska Conservation and 

Survey Division map, scale 1;250,000, 1 sheet. 

———1980d, Configuration of base of principal aquifer, 

1979, Fremont and Omaha Quadrangle, Nebraska: 

University of Nebraska Conservation and Survey Division map, scale 1:250,000, 1 sheet. 

———1980e, Thickness of principal aquifer, 1979, 

Fremont and Omaha Quadrangle, Nebraska: University 

of Nebraska Conservation and Survey Division map, 

scale 1:250,000, 1 sheet. 

———1980f, Configuration of the water table, spring 1979, 

Fremont and Omaha Quadrangle, Nebraska: University 

of Nebraska Conservation and Survey Division map, 

scale 1:250,000, 1 sheet. 

Pomes, M.L., Thurman, E.M., and Goolsby, D.A., 1991, 

Comparison of microtitre-plate, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and gas chromatography/ 

mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for analysis of herbicides 

in storm runoff samples, in Mallard, G.E., and 

Aronson, D.A. (eds.), U.S. Geological Survey Toxic 

Substances Hydrology Program—Proceedings of the 

technical meeting, Monterey, California, March 11–15, 

1991: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 91–4034, p. 572–575. 

Sandstrom, M.W., Wydoski, D.S., Schroeder, M.P., 

Zamboni, J.L., and Foreman, W.T., 1991, Methods of 

analysis by the National Water-Quality Laboratory—Determination of organonitrogen herbicides in 

water by solid-phase extraction and capillary column 

gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with selected 

ion monitoring: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File 

Report 91–519, 26 p. 

Spearman, C., 1904, The proof and measurement of association between two things: American Journal of 

Psychology, v. 15, p. 72–101. 

Stamer, J.K., and Huntzinger, T.L., 1994, Spring herbicide 

flush may deal cities a problem: Nebraska Farmer, 

May 1994, p. 10–13. 

Tanner, D.Q., and Steele, G.V., 1991, Ground-water quality 

in the Nemaha Natural Resources District, southeastern Nebraska, 1989: U.S. Geological Survey 

Water-Resources Investigations Report 90–4184, 52 p. 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, 

and University of Nebraska, Conservation and Survey 

Division, 1990, General soils map of Nebraska: 

Conservation and Survey Division, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of 

Nebraska-Lincoln, scale 1:1,000,000, 1 sheet. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1994, Drinking 

water regulations and health advisories: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, November, 

11 p. 

University of Nebraska, Conservation and Survey Division, 

1986, Geologic bedrock map of Nebraska, 1986: 

University of Nebraska Conservation and Survey Division map, scale 1:1,000,000, 1 sheet. 

Yevjevich, V.M., 1972, Probability and statistics in 

hydrology: Fort Collins, Colorado, Water Resources 

Publications, 302 p. 

30 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
APPENDIX

Table 4. Statistical summary of ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural 

Resources District, summer 1994 

[A, all aquifers; DV, Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer; CPA, Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer; W, Waverly aquifer; PR, Platte River aquifer; 

M, Missouri River aquifer; NA, not applicable; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter; mg/L, milligrams per liter; <, less than; 

pCi/L, picocuries per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter] 

Public 

Measurement Number 25th 75th drinkingor Aquifer of Minimum Percen- Median Percen- Maximum water 

constituent samples tile tile regulation 

or criterion 

Well depth A 41 45 65 96 166 365 NA 

below land 

surface, DV 7 76 80 135 235 365 

in feet CPA 11 45 100 216 258 300 

W 13 59 65 93 106 172 

PR 3 46 46 54 84 84 

M 6 62 62 69 87 100 

Specific A 46 399 588 696 838 2,040 NA 

conductance, in DV 9 399 449 683 784 830 

μS/cm at CPA 11 540 720 833 971 2,040 

25 degrees 

Celsius W 14 477 544 635 772 1,010

 PR 5 586 587 629 678 717 

M 7 664 704 941 988 1,140 

pH, in standard A 46 6.8 7.0 7.1 7.3 7.8 NA 

units DV 9 6.9 7.0 7.3 7.4 7.6 

P 11 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 

W 14 6.8 6.9 7.0 7.1 7.5 

PR 5 7.1 7.1 7.3 7.6 7.8 

M 7 7.0 7.2 7.2 7.4 7.4 

Water A 46 12.0 12.5 13.0 14.0 17.0 NA 

temperature, 

in degrees DV 9 12.0 12.2 12.5 13.6 15.5 

Celsius CPA 11 13.0 13.0 14.0 14.0 15.5 

W 14 12.0 12.4 12.5 13.5 15.0 

PR 5 12.0 12.2 12.5 15.2 17.0 

M 7 12.5 12.5 13.0 13.0 14.0 

Dissolved A 39 .1 1.0 2.4 6.7 13.5 NA 

oxygen, 

in mg/L DV 8 .2 1.6 5.6 8.0 8.8 

CPA 7 .4 .6 2.5 5.5 10.5 

W 14 .5 2.1 4.7 7.7 8.8 

PR 5 .7 .7 .8 .9 13.5 

M 5 .1 .2 1.3 1.4 1.4 

APPENDIX 33 
Table 4. Statistical summary of ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural 

Resources District, summer 1994—Continued 

[A, all aquifers; DV, Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer; CPA, Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer; W, Waverly aquifer; PR, Platte River aquifer; 

M, Missouri River aquifer; NA, not applicable; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter; mg/L, milligrams per liter; <, less than; 

pCi/L, picocuries per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter] 

Public 

Measurement Number 25th 75th drinkingor Aquifer of Minimum Percen- Median Percen- Maximum water 

constituent samples tile tile regulation 

or criterion 

Alkalinity, A 39 174 248 297 347 528 NA 

in mg/L 

as CaCO3 

DV 8 174 205 308 346 375 

CPA 10 247 252 300 366 390 

W 9 223 251 276 300 338 

PR 5 199 200 207 241 248 

M 7 330 330 409 426 528 

Calcium, A 39 45 75 90 110 140 NA 

dissolved, 

in mg/L DV 8 45 57 91 110 130 

CPA 10 76 87 100 110 120 

W 9 58 66 75 97 120 

PR 5 58 58 64 78 80 

M 7 77 77 120 130 140 

Magnesium, A 39 9.4 16 21 28 40 NA 

dissolved, 

in mg/L DV 8 9.4 14 21 27 29 

CPA 10 14 16 22 30 32 

W 9 12 16 19 22 24 

PR 5 11 12 16 17 18 

M 7 22 25 32 35 40 

Sodium, A 39 8.8 18 32 47 240 NA 

dissolved, 

in mg/L DV 8 13 14 19 21 32 

CPA 10 13 18 44 70 240 

W 9 30 33 43 54 59 

PR 5 16 22 38 52 63 

M 7 8.8 17 26 42 46 

Potassium, A 39 2.6 4.3 5.2 6.9 15 

dissolved, 

in mg/L DV 8 3.7 4.6 5.6 7.8 13 

CPA 10 2.6 3.4 4.3 5.0 15 

W 9 3.4 4.3 4.5 5.4 7.1 

PR 5 3.8 4.5 6.8 9.2 9.4 

M 7 3.6 4.3 5.4 7.1 8.1 

34 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
Table 4. Statistical summary of ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural 

Resources District, summer 1994—Continued 

[A, all aquifers; DV, Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer; CPA, Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer; W, Waverly aquifer; PR, Platte River aquifer; 

M, Missouri River aquifer; NA, not applicable; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter; mg/L, milligrams per liter; <, less than; 

pCi/L, picocuries per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter] 

Public 

Measurement Number 25th 75th drinkingor Aquifer of Minimum Percen- Median Percen- Maximum water 

constituent samples tile tile regulation 

or criterion 

Sulfate, A 39 5.9 27 51 77 160 1250 

dissolved, 

in mg/L DV 8 7.2 23 44 77 100 

CPA 10 27 35 58 85 110 

W 9 14 27 59 96 160 

PR 5 5.9 16 72 77 80 

M 7 7.0 7.2 51 67 85 

Chloride, A 39 1.4 5.0 9.2 15 390 1250 

dissolved, 

in mg/L DV 8 2.0 2.4 3.5 7.6 13 

CPA 10 3.3 5.4 14 90 390 

W 9 2.4 7.0 9.3 10 26 

PR 5 5.4 13 28 45 53 

M 7 1.4 5.0 9.2 11 15 

Fluoride, A 39 .2 .3 .3 .4 .8 24.0 

dissolved, 

in mg/L DV 8 .3 .3 .3 .4 .4 

CPA 10 .3 .3 .4 .8 .8 

W 9 .2 .3 .3 .3 .4 

PR 5 .3 .4 .4 .4 .5 

M 7 .3 .3 .3 .4 .4 

Silica, A 39 18 29 34 38 64 NA 

dissolved, 

in mg/L DV 8 38 44 48 50 50 

CPA 10 30 33 34 35 64 

W 9 29 31 34 35 48 

PR 5 28 28 30 32 33 

M 7 18 24 28 29 31 

Iron, dissolved, A 39 <3 4 20 780 13,000 1300 

in μg/L DV 8 <3 <3 7 120 160 

CPA 10 3 6 26 620 1,000 

W 9 <3 <3 4 66 2,300 

PR 5 <3 3 50 1,780 3,300 

M 7 4 4,500 8,200 11,000 13,000 

APPENDIX 35 
Table 4. Statistical summary of ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural 

Resources District, summer 1994—Continued 

[A, all aquifers; DV, Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer; CPA, Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer; W, Waverly aquifer; PR, Platte River aquifer; 

M, Missouri River aquifer; NA, not applicable; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter; mg/L, milligrams per liter; <, less than; 

pCi/L, picocuries per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter] 

Public 

Measurement Number 25th 75th drinkingor Aquifer of Minimum Percen- Median Percen- Maximum water 

constituent samples tile tile regulation 

or criterion 

Manganese, A 39 <1 5 89 680 3,600 1500 

dissolved, 

in μg/L DV 8 <1 1 14 58 450 

CPA 10 6 15 220 480 710 

W 9 <1 <1 2 53 1,100 

PR 5 62 160 770 2,900 3,600 

M 7 370 600 850 1,900 2,500 

Dissolved A 39 262 370 430 540 1,100 1500 

solids, 

in mg/L DV 8 262 320 460 520 545 

CPA 10 340 420 520 600 1,100 

W 9 346 353 400 500 608 

PR 5 340 350 380 400 420 

M 7 371 380 540 560 684 

Nitrogen A 46 <.05 .09 1.2 6.5 23 210 

NO2 + NO3, 

dissolved, DV 9 <.05 .84 1.9 7.1 11 

as N, CPA 11 <.05 .08 .31 8.2 23 

in mg/L W 14 <.05 .61 3.3 10.9 22 

PR 5 <.05 <.05 .78 3.9 6.5 

M 7 <.05 <.05 .06 2.0 4.2 

Radon, A 35 110 260 300 440 1,200 2300 

in pCi/L DV 8 110 210 280 390 480 

CPA 8 300 360 440 980 1,200 

W 8 160 260 390 540 710 

PR 5 260 260 290 380 440 

M 6 200 200 240 260 260 

Atrazine, A 33 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 .45 2

3.0 

dissolved, 

in μg/L DV 7 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

CPA 6 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

W 10 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

PR 4 <.05 <.05 .18 .44 .45 

M 6 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

36 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District Eastern Nebraska, 1994 
Table 4. Statistical summary of ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural 

Resources District, summer 1994—Continued 

[A, all aquifers; DV, Dwight-Valparaiso aquifer; CPA, Crete-Princeton-Adams aquifer; W, Waverly aquifer; PR, Platte River aquifer; 

M, Missouri River aquifer; NA, not applicable; μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter; mg/L, milligrams per liter; <, less than; 

pCi/L, picocuries per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter] 

Public 

Measurement Number 25th 75th drinkingor Aquifer of Minimum Percen- Median Percen- Maximum water 

constituent samples tile tile regulation 

or criterion 

Deethyl- A 33 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 0.08 NA 

atrazine, 

dissolved, DV 7 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

in μg/L CPA 6 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

W 10 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

PR 4 <.05 <.05 .02 .08 .08 

M 6 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

Deisopropyl- A 33 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 .05 NA 

atrazine, 

dissolved, DV 7 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

in μg/L CPA 6 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

W 10 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

PR 4 <.05 <.05 <.05 .02 .05 

M 6 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

Metolachlor, A 33 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 3.00 370 

dissolved, 

in μg/L DV 7 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

CPA 6 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

W 10 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 3.00 

PR 4 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

M 6 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

Metribuzin, A 33 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 .11 4200 

dissolved, 

in μg/L DV 7 <.05 <.05 <.05 .09 .11 

CPA 16 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

W 10 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

PR 4 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

M 6 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

1

Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1994).


2

Maximum Contaminant Level (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1994).


3

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1994).


4

Life-time health advisory for 70-kilogram adult (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1994).


APPENDIX 37 
--

-- -- --

--

--

--

-- -- --

--

--

--

38 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 Table 5. Ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, summer 1994 

[μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; °C, degrees Celsius; <, less than; --, no data; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; pCi/L, 

picocuries per liter] 

Depth of 

well Specific pH Temper- Local ID Site ID number Legal location Date Time Sample below conduc- (standard ature, number type land sur- tance water 

face (μS/cm) units) (

oC) 

(feet) 

410613096504901 410516096500201 410534096425301 410509096453401 410521096423801 410427096442401 410715097010501 410801096523701 410448096592701 

403340096503301 403600096454401 403505096423301 403425096425001 403347096465501 403228096444901 403203096463001 403456096373901 403452096372801 403740096444701 403645096303901 

410042096231301 410002096232501 405754096274701 405748096262901 

13N 5E 15BBAB1 

13N 5E 22AACA1 13N 6E 14CCBA1 

13N 6E 20ABDD1 

13N 6E 23BABB1 

13N 6E 28AABB1 

13N 4E 6CDBC1 

14N 5E 32DCCD1 

13N 4E 20DBDA1 

7N 5E 22ACDA1 

7N 6E 5DACC1 

7N 6E 11DO1 

7N 6E 14DBBB1 

7N 6E 19AAC 

7N 6E 28DO1 

7N 6E 32B1 

7N 7E 10CCCD1 

7N 7E 15BABB1 

8N 6E 28DDBA1 

8N 8E 34DCBC1 

12N 9E 15CADA1 

12N 9E 22AABA1 

12N 9E 31CBBB1 

12N 9E 32CBAD1 

DV-37B 

DV-40 

DV-71 

DV-77 

DV-80 

DV-82 

DV-84 

DV-85 

1DV-101 

CPA-11 

CPA-25 

CPA-28 

CPA-32 

CPA-36 

CPA-48 

CPA-52 

CPA-54 

CPA-59 

1CPA-75B 1CPA-83 

W-2AA 

W-4 

W-5 

W-6 

08-26-94 

08-16-94 

08-18-94 

08-29-94 

08-29-94 

08-12-94 

08-26-94 

08-23-94 

08-29-94 

09-06-94 

08-18-94 

08-17-94 

08-17-94 

08-22-94 

08-02-94 

08-02-94 

08-18-94 

08-19-94 

08-02-94 

08-02-94 

08-17-94 

08-17-94 

07-28-94 

08-15-94 

08-15-94 

08-18-94 

07-28-94 

08-15-94 

1226 

1154 

1330 

1800 

1806 

1357 

1011 

1632 

1647 

1207 

1255 

1650 

1250 

1411 

1442 

1624 

1526 

1215 

1124 

1015 

1031 

1036 

1147 

1750 

1017 

1100 

1007 

1440 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Replicate 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Replicate 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

76

160

235

235

115

135

365

80 

192

91 

216

258 

257

300

282

104 

100

45 

228

228

93

93 

105

105 

683 

790 

626 

399 

457 

441 

830 

778 

776 

720 

800 

815 

2,040 

1,200 

855 

890 

585 

971 

833 

503 

498 

764 

630 

626 

7.0 

7.2 

7.6 

7.0 

7.4 

6.9 

7.3 

7.3 

7.3 

7.2 

7.4 

7.4 

7.1 

7.3 

7.1 

7.2 

7.1 

7.1 

7.0 

7.0 

6.8 

7.4 

7.0 

7.0 

7.1 

15.5 

12.5 

13.0 

12.5 

12.5 

12.0 

14.0 

12.0 

13.0 

13.0 

14.0 

13.0 

13.5 

14.0 

14.5 

14.0 

13.0 

15.5 

14.0 

14.0 

13.5 

14.0 

13.0 

12.5 

14.5 

15.0 
--

--

--

-- --

--

--

--

--

--

Table 5. Ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, summer 1994—Continued [μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; °C, degrees Celsius; <, less than; --, no data; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; pCi/L, 

picocuries per liter] 

Depth of 

well Specific Temper- pH Local ID Site ID number Legal location Date Time Sample below conduc- (standard ature, number type land sur- tance water 

face (μS/cm) units) (oC) 

(feet) 

APPENDIX 

405320096341001 405640096292301 405631096302301 405546096292501 405522096302001 405454096322501 405413096323401 405326096322501 

405846096261001 405228096331301 410337095594001410039096092401410247096055901 410252095562201 410337095583001 425100095510401 405353095491301 405256095493001 410131095524701 404704095523501 404802095505801 

404925095504501 

11N 7E 25DDBA1 

11N 8E 2DCCA1 

11N 8E 10ABAD1 

11N 8E 11DCCD1 

11N 8E 15ADCC1 

11N 8E 16CDCD1 

11N 8E 20DDAA1 

11N 8E 29DABB1 

12N 9E 29BDDD1 

11N 8E 32C1 

 13NE 13E 30DCCC1 

 12N 11E 14BCBD1 

13N 12E 31DDDD1 

13N 13E 34CDAC1 

13N 13E 32ABBB1 

10N 14E 16BBBA1 

11N 14E 27ABDB1 11N 14E 34ACAB1 

12N 14E 7ACDA1 

10N 14E 31DDDC1 

10N 14E 28CCAD1 

10N 14E 21BDAB1 

W-21 

W-30 

W-36 

W-40 

W-53 

W-55 

W-62B 

1W-66 

W-100 

1W-689 

PR-1

PR-2 

PR-4 

PR-15 

PR-54 

M-2A 

M-4 M-6 

M-7 

M-100 

M-101 

M-102 

07-26-94 

08-16-94 

07-25-94 

08-16-94 

07-26-94 

07-25-94 

08-16-94 

08-16-94 

07-27-94 

08-15-94 

08-15-94 

07-27-94 

07-27-94 08-15-94 

07-26-94 

08-18-94 

07-27-94 

08-19-94 

08-19-94 

08-22-94 

08-23-94 

08-22-94 

08-19-94 

08-19-94 

09-07-94 09-07-94 

08-23-94 

08-19-94 

08-24-94 

08-25-94 

1015 

1510 

1545 

1420 

1220 

1730 

1350 

1720 

1435 

1545 

1130 

1540 

1535 

1630 

1530 

1000 

1115 

2000 

1523 

1409 

1114 

1617 

1344 

1530 

1413 1458 

1347 

1702 

1250 

1130 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Replicate 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

Regular 

60 

60 

88

88 

65 

96 

96 

59 

59 

65 

172 

172 

172 

80 

80 

153 

153 

46 

81 

54 

100 

62 83 

72 

62 

65 

508 

490 

650 

1,010 

640 

920 

687 

477 

449 

579 

645 

620 

650 

794 

639 

717 

588 

586 

629 

664 

1,140 

988 

966 

744 

941 

704 

7.1 

6.8 

7.0 

7.2 

7.5 

6.9 

7.3 

7.1 

6.8 

7.0 

7.0 

7.0 

6.8 

7.0 

6.8

7.0 

7.1 

7.4 

7.8 

7.3 

7.1 

7.1 

7.2 

7.4

7.2

7.4 

7.2 

7.4 

12.0 

12.5 

12.5 

12.5 

12.0 

12.5 

12.0 

12.0 

13.5 

13.5 

13.5 

13.0 

13.0 

13.0 

12.0 

12.5 

12.5 

12.5 

12.0 

12.5 

17.0 

13.5 

12.5 

14.0 

13.0 

12.5 

13.0 

12.5 

12.5 13.0 

39 
40 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 Table 5. Ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, summer 1994

—Continued 

[μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; °C, degrees Celsius; <, less than; --, no data; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; pCi/L, picocuries per liter] 

Calcium, Magne- Hardness, Sodium, Sulfate, Chloride, Oxygen, Alkalinity, dis- sium, dis- Sodium Potassium, Local ID total dissolved dissolved dissolved Date dissolved lab (mg/L solved solved adsorp- dissolved number (mg/L (mg/L (mg/L (mg/L) (mg/L as as CaCO3) (mg/L (mg/L as Na) tion ratio (mg/L as K) as SO4) as Cl) CaCO3) as Ca) as Mg) 

DV-37B 08-26-94 4.6 310 272 DV-40 08-16-94 1.6 430 341 DV-71 08-18-94 8.8 290 284 DV-77 08-29-94 8.1 150 183 

08-29-94 -- -- -­

91 20 13 0.3 5.3 41 2.9 

130 26 13 .3 7.0 83 13 

89 17 18 .5 5.3 46 2.6 

45 9.4 20 .7 4.4 7.2 2.4 

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

DV-80 08-12-94 6.7 -- --

DV-82 08-26-94 7.5 170 174 DV-84 08-23-94 .2 390 332 DV-85 08-29-94 -- 370 347 DV-101 09-06-94 1.6 340 375 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -­

46 13 21 .7 3.7 18 2.0 

110 29 20 .4 8.1 100 5.9 

110 22 18 .4 5.9 58 8.2 

90 27 32 .8 13 39 4.1 

CPA-11 08-18-94 10.5 340 302 CPA-25 08-17-94 -- 280 270 CPA-28 08-17-94 -- 350 252 CPA-32 08-22-94 1.3 400 302 CPA-36 08-02-94 .4 360 297 

100 23 13 .3 4.2 43 4.0 

90 14 57 1 4.4 42 64 

110 19 29 .7 3.6 37 53 

120 25 240 5 5.4 110 390 

110 21 110 3 4.6 73 17 

CPA-48 08-02-94 .6 400 365 CPA-52 08-18-94 2.5 370 390 CPA-54 08-19-94 5.5 260 247 CPA-59 08-02-94 -- 260 250 CPA-75B 08-02-94 5.5 -- -­

110 30 39 .9 4.2 100 15 

99 31 51 1 4.8 80 8.9 78 15 17 .5 3.0 27 5.9 

76 16 18 .5 2.6 29 3.3 

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

CPA-83 08-17-94 -- 360 370 

08-17-94 -- 350 370 

W-2AA 07-28-94 4.5 210 223 

08-15-94 -- -- --

W-4 08-15-94 -- 230 274 

90 32 49 1 15 77 13 89 31 49 1 15 77 13 

58 16 30 .9 7.1 25 11 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -­

72 12 34 1 4.3 14 2.4 

W-5 08-18-94 .5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --W-6 07-28-94 2.0 260 258 75 18 32 .9 5.5 59 8.8 
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

--

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

----

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

--

--

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

--

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

--

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

--

--

Table 5. Ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, summer 1994—Continued [μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; °C, degrees Celsius; <, less than; --, no data; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; pCi/L, pico

Local ID 

number Date 

Oxygen, 

dissolved 

(mg/L) 

Hardness, 

total

 (mg/L as 

CaCO3) 

Alkalinity, 

lab (mg/L 

as CaCO3) 

Calcium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

as Ca) 

Magnesium, dissolved 

(mg/L 

as Mg) 

Sodium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

as Na) 

Sodium adsorption ratio 

Potassium, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as K) 

08-15-94 

W-21 07-26-94 2.4 

08-16-94 

W-30 07-25-94 8.0 390 300 120 23 55 1 4.4 

08-16-94 

W-36 07-26-94 8.5 W-40 07-25-94 4.9 370 338 110 24 59 1 4.5 

08-16-94 

W-53 08-16-94 4.2 W-55 07-27-94 1.0 290 291 84 19 43 1 5.3 

08-15-94 

W-62B 08-15-94 5.5 W-66 07-27-94 6.6 250 244 69 20 48 1 5.1 

07-27-94 6.6 230 276 65 16 40 1 3.4 08-15-94 

W-100 07-26-94 2.1 250 244 67 19 47 1 5.2 

08-18-94 

W-689 07-27-94 8.8 290 300 82 21 52 1 4.3 

08-19-94 7.6 

PR-1 08-19-94 .7 230 199 64 16 38 1 9.4 PR-2 08-22-94 2.2 210 201 59 14 63 2 8.9 PR-4 08-23-94 .7 190 234 58 11 42 1 5.2 PR-15 08-22-94 1.7 270 248 80 18 16 .4 3.8 PR-54 08-19-94 .8 250 207 75 16 27 .7 6.8 M-2A 08-19-94 1.4 280 330 77 22 26 .7 3.6 M-4 09-07-94 510 528 140 40 46 .9 7.1 M-6 09-07-94 1.3 440 409 120 35 42 .9 5.4 M-7 08-23-94 .2 430 413 120 32 29 .6 8.1 M-100 08-19-94 1.3 370 360 100 30 8.8 .2 4.8 M-101 08-24-94 .1 460 426 130 34 17 .3 6.4 M-102 08-25-94 300 330 77 25 22 .6 4.3 

APPENDIX 41 
-- -- -- -- --

-- -- 

-- -- -- -- --

-- -- 

-- -- -- -- --

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- --

-- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- 

-- --

-- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

-- -- 

-- -- 

-- -- -- -- --

-- -- -- -- 

42 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 Table 5. Ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, summer 1994

—Continued 

[μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; °C, degrees Celsius; <, less than; --, no data; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; pCi/L, pico

Local ID 

number Date 

Fluoride, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as F) 

Silica, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

as SiO2) 

Iron, dissolved 

(μg/L 

as Fe) 

Manganese, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as Mn) 

Solids, sum of 

constituents, 

dissolved 

(mg/L) 

Nitrogen, 

NO2 + 

NO3, dissolved 

(mg/L 

as N) 

Radon-222, 

total 

(pCi/L) 

Radon-222 

sigma, 

water, 

whole, total 

(pCi/L) 

DV-37B 08-26-94 0.4 47 <3 1 432 11 480 24 DV-40 08-16-94 .4 38 <3 26 545 6.80 260 22 DV-71 08-18-94 .3 45 6 <1 397 .73 110 17 DV-77 08-29-94 .3 50 20 1 262 3.1 240 19 

08-29-94 3.2 

DV-80 08-12-94 .95 DV-82 08-26-94 .3 49 8 2 290 7.4 410 23 DV-84 08-23-94 .4 49 6 67 530 1.9 200 19 DV-85 08-29-94 .3 43 160 33 479 1.2 300 20 DV-101 09-06-94 .3 50 150 450 481 <.05 350 22 CPA-11 08-18-94 .6 35 29 8 440 8.2 300 21 CPA-25 08-17-94 .3 32 3 6 467 .31 CPA-28 08-17-94 .4 33 10 76 494 13 CPA-32 08-22-94 .3 30 1,000 620 1,100 .07 370 21 CPA-36 08-02-94 .3 33 570 430 701 <.05 400 21 CPA-48 08-02-94 .4 34 24 420 553 .23 910 29 CPA-52 08-18-94 .4 34 5 300 544 .19 1,000 31 CPA-54 08-19-94 .4 36 6 17 359 6.5 1,200 32 CPA-59 08-02-94 .3 34 60 130 341 2.6 490 23 CPA-75B 08-02-94 23 CPA-83 08-17-94 0.8 64 780 710 564 <0.05 350 23 

08-17-94 .9 64 780 700 562 <.05 

W-2AA 07-28-94 .3 48 8 5 346 3.8 260 20 

08-15-94 4.9 

W-4 08-15-94 .3 34 4 17 350 2.8 160 19 W-5 08-18-94 .61 W-6 07-28-94 .3 34 12 2 401 3.2 550 25 

08-15-94 3.1 

W-21 07-26-94 

08-16-94 9.2 
-- 

-- -- 

-- 

-- -- -- -- --

-- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

--

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

-- -- -- -- -- --

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

-- -- 

--

-- -- -- -- -- --

--

-- -- 

--

-- --

Table 5. Ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, summer 1994—Continued 

[μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; °C, degrees Celsius; <, less than; --, no data; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; pCi/L, pico

Local ID 

number Date 

Fluoride, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as F) 

Silica, 

dissolved 

(mg/L 

as SiO2) 

Iron, dissolved 

(μg/L 

as Fe) 

Manganese, 

dissolved 

(mg/L as Mn) 

Solids, sum of 

constituents, 

dissolved 

(mg/L) 

Nitrogen, 

NO2 + 

NO3, dissolved 

(mg/L 

as N) 

Radon-222, 

total 

(pCi/L) 

Radon-222 

sigma, 

water, 

whole, total 

(pCi/L) 

W-30 07-25-94 .2 36 2,300 1,000 608 .05 710 27 

08-16-94 <.05 

W-36 07-26-94 W-40 07-25-94 .3 29 <3 <1 559 380 22 

08-16-94 16 

W-53 08-16-94 22 W-55 07-27-94 .4 34 <3 2 452 3.8 260 22 

08-15-94 3.8 

W-62B 08-15-94 2.7 W-66 07-27-94 .2 34 130 95 410 25 

07-27-94 .3 29 <3 <1 355 08-15-94 2.8 

W-100 07-26-94 .3 33 120 89 397 400 24 

08-18-94 4.8 

W-689 07-27-94 .3 34 <3 <1 495 16 510 27 

08-19-94 17 

PR-1 08-19-94 .4 28 <3 62 381 1.30 440 23 PR-2 08-22-94 .5 28 150 2,300 423 <.05 290 21 PR-4 08-23-94 .3 33 3,300 3,600 340 .11 330 21 PR-15 08-22-94 .4 31 4 250 361 6.80 270 19 PR-54 08-19-94 .4 30 260 770 384 .78 260 21 M-2A 08-19-94 .4 26 4,500 680 371 .20 200 17 M-4 09-07-94 .3 28 8,800 2,500 684 .06 250 20 M-6 09-07-94 .3 28 7,600 850 545 <.05 200 20 M-7 08-23-94 .3 31 13,000 1,900 561 <.05 260 19 M-100 08-19-94 .4 18 4 370 424 4.20 220 18 M-101 08-24-94 .4 29 11,000 600 557 .09 260 20 M-102 08-25-94 .3 24 8,200 910 378 <.05 

APPENDIX 43 
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

44 Hydrogeology and Water Quality of Five Principal Aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, Eastern Nebraska, 1994 Table 5. Ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, summer 1994

—Continued 

[μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; °C, degrees Celsius; <, less than; --, no data; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; pCi/L, pico

Local ID 

number Date 

Atrazine, 

water, dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Cyanazine, water, 

dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Atrazine, 

water, dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Propylatrazine, 

water, dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Metolachlor, 

water, dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Metribuzin, 

sencor, 

water, dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Prometon, water, 

dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Prometryn, 

water, dissolved 

(μg/L) 

D

p

wa

DV-37B 08-26-94 <0.05 <0.20 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 DV-40 08-16-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 DV-71 08-18-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 DV-77 08-29-94 

08-29-94 

DV-80 08-12-94 DV-82 08-26-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 DV-84 08-23-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 .09 <.05 <.05 DV-85 08-29-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 .11 <.05 <.05 DV-101 09-06-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 CPA-11 08-18-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 CPA-25 08-17-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 CPA-28 08-17-94 CPA-32 08-22-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 .05 <.05 <.05 CPA-36 08-02-94 CPA-48 08-02-94 CPA-52 08-18-94 CPA-54 08-19-94 CPA-59 08-02-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 CPA-75B 08-02-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 CPA-83 08-17-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

08-17-94 

W-2AA 07-28-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

08-15-94 

W-4 08-15-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 W-5 08-18-94 W-6 07-28-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

08-15-94 

W-21 07-26-94 

08-16-94 
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Table 5. Ground-water-quality data from five aquifers in the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, summer 1994—Continued 

[μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; °C, degrees Celsius; <, less than; --, no data; mg/L, milligrams per liter; μg/L, micrograms per liter; pCi/L, pico

Local ID 

number Date 

Atrazine, 

water, dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Cyanazine, water, 

dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Atrazine, 

water, dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Propylatrazine, 

water, dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Metolachlor, 

water, dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Metribuzin, 

sencor, 

water, dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Prometon, water, 

dissolved 

(μg/L) 

Prometryn, 

water, dissolved 

(μg/L) 

D

p

wa

s

W-30 07-25-94 

08-16-94 

W-36 07-26-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 W-40 07-25-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

08-16-94 

W-53 08-16-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 W-55 07-27-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

08-15-94 

W-62B 08-15-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 3.00 <.05 <.05 <.05 W-66 07-27-94 

07-27-94 08-15-94 

W-100 07-26-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

08-18-94 

W-689 07-27-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

08-19-94 

PR-1 08-19-94 .40 <.20 .08 .05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 PR-2 08-22-94 .45 <.20 .08 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 PR-4 08-23-94 PR-15 08-22-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 PR-54 08-19-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 M-2A 08-19-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 M-4 09-07-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 M-6 09-07-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 M-7 08-23-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 M-100 08-19-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 M-101 08-24-94 M-102 08-25-94 <.05 <.20 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 <.05 

1 Well was completed beyond the extent of the most permeable sand and gravel deposits of the aquifer. 

APPENDIX 45