Development of ground-water resources along the Atlantic coast has caused saltwater to intrude many highly productive aquifers. Development can also affect the discharge of ground water to coastal ecosystems. A project to review what is known about these freshwater-saltwater issues along the Atlantic coast is nearing completion. A USGS Circular on saltwater intrusion and related coastal zone issues is being written. Features such as aquifer extent, water-level maps, aquifer thickness, hydraulic properties, and major geochemical characteristics would be available as digital files over the Internet.
Preliminary planning is underway for the database.
The USGS has completed an atlas of the Nation s major aquifers. The atlas comprises a series of printed publications that describe the location and extent of important aquifers in the United States as well as their geologic and hydrologic characteristics. The series consists of 13 chapters that describe the ground-water resources of regions that, collectively, cover the 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Improvements in computer codes for models are needed to keep pace with changing needs of hydrologists who evaluate ground-water flow and transport of contaminants in ground water.