With its new water source, Homer anticipates increased residential and commercial expansion for years to come. In November 1998, people from the water supply industry, water authorities, general public, and local, state, and federal agencies formed the Mahomet Aquifer Consortium. The Consortium is developing a plan to study the entire aquifer,which extends from the Indiana state line to the Illinois River Valley in central Illinois. Results of the planned study will form the basis for wise develop-ment of this groundwater resource that is so vital to central Illinois. Ed Mehnert, Dave Larson Drillers lay out water well screens prior to assembly and installation.
Spreader applies manure slurry, adding nutrients, including nitrogen, to Illinois cropland.
An earlier ISGS study had applied ion chemistry to analyze the patterns of groundwater flow and recharge to the Mahomet Bedrock Valley Aquifer, a critical groundwater source for east-central Illinois. The study found three distinct regions of groundwater type and patterns of recharge. Due to increased demand for water from the aquifer, the Survey is continuing its study using stable isotopes, tritium, and carbon-14 dating to determine the geochemical evolution and age of the water as well the discrete recharge areas of the aquifer. Carbon-14 analysis is being used to date groundwater by determining the age of dissolved inorganic and organic carbon. Preliminary results suggest that groundwater in the aquifer may be thousands of years old.