# Ground Water and Surface Water A Single Resource

By T.C. Winter, J.W. Harvey, O.L. Franke, and W.M. Alley

To go directly to the pdf files that are available.
As the Nation's concerns over water resources and theenvironment increase, the importance of considering groundwater and surface water as a single resource has becomeincreasingly evident. Issues related to water supply, waterquality, and degradation of aquatic environments arereported on frequently. The interaction of ground water andsurface water has been shown to be a significant concern inmany of these issues. For example, contaminated aquifersthat discharge to streams can result in long-termcontamination of surface water; conversely, streams can be amajor source of contamination to aquifers. Surfacewater commonly is hydraulically connected to ground water,but the interactions are difficult to observe and measureand commonly have been ignored in water-managementconsiderations and policies. Many natural processes andhuman activities affect the interactions of ground water andsurface water. The purpose of this report is to present ourcurrent understanding of these processes and activities aswell as limitations in our knowledge and ability tocharacterize them.
Contents
Title Page

Back of Title Page--(pdf 126KB)

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

Natural processes of ground-water and surface-water interaction 

The hydrologic cycle and interactions of ground water and surface water 

Interaction of ground water and streams 

Interaction of ground water and lakes 

Interaction of ground water and wetlands 

Chemical interactions of ground water and surface water 

Evolution of water chemistry in drainage basins 

Chemical interactions of ground water and surface water in streams, lakes, and wetlands 

Interaction of ground water and surface water in different landscapes 

Mountainous terrain 

Riverine terrain 

Coastal terrain 

Glacial and dune terrain 

Karst terrain 

Effects of human activities on the interaction of ground water and surface water 

Agricultural development 

Irrigation systems 

Use of agricultural chemicals 

Urban and industrial development 

Drainage of the land surface 

Modifications to river valleys 

Construction of levees 

Construction of reservoirs 

Removal of natural vegetation 

Modifications to the atmosphere 

Atmospheric deposition 

Global warming 

Challenges and opportunities 

Water supply 

Water quality 

Characteristics of aquatic environments 

Acknowledgments 

BOXES
Box A--*Concepts of ground water, water table, and       flow systems*Box B--*The ground-water component of streamflow*Box C--*The effect of ground-water withdrawals on         surface water*Box D--*Some common types of biogeochemical reactions         affecting transport of chemicals in ground-water and surface water*Box E--*Evolution of ground-water chemistry         from recharge to discharge areas in the Atlantic Coastal Plain*Box F--*The interface between ground         water and surface water as an environmental enentity*Box G--*Use of environmental tracers         to determine the interaction of ground water and surface water*Box H--*Field studies of mountainous         terrain*Box I--*Field studies of riverine terrain*Box J--*Field studies of coastal terrain*Box K--*Field studies of glacial and dune terrain*Box L--*Field studies of karst terrain*Box M--*Point and nonpoint sources of contaminants*Box N--*Effects of irrigation development on the         interaction of ground water and surface water*Box O--*Effects of nitrogen use on the quality of         ground water and surface water*Box P--*Effects of pesticide application to         agricultural lands on the quality of ground water and surface water*Box Q--*Effects of surface-water         reservoirs on the interaction of ground water and surface water*Box R--*Effects of the removal of flood-plain         vegetation on the interaction of ground water and surface water*Box S--*Effects of atmospheric         deposition on the quality of ground water and surface water*

The text and graphics are presented herein pdf format:

The full report(minus photographs) is 11 MB

Or for easier downloading we have splitup the file:

Title page, Back ofTitle page, Foreword, Preface, Introduction--1 MB

The hydrologic cycleand interaction of ground water and surface water andchemical interactions of ground water and surface water--5MB

Interaction ofground water and surface water in different landscapes--1.6MB

Effects of humanactivities on the interaction of ground water and surfacewater--3 MB

Challanges andopportunities and Acknowledgments--82 KB

If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on yourcomputer, you may view and/or print the PDF version of thisreport. Ifyou do not have Acrobat Reader, you may download it here.
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U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological SurveyPersistent URL: http://pubsdata.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1139/		Page Contact Information: USGS Publishing NetworkLast modified: Friday, January 11 2013, 12:06:06 PM