The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-12-11
WATER RESOURCES.
Geological Survey Issues Interesting
Report on South Dakota.

ikSPS'N vi SSbSIl aHSI
The Importance of an adequate water
supply in south Dakota is more than
ordinarily apparent when the character
of part of the soil is considered. In
drift regions it shows communications of
alkali, which sometimes interferes
with the growth of vegetation. This,
however, depends upon the amount Of
moisture. When the moisture is abund-
ant the alkali seems rather a fertilizer.
Persons Interested in the agricultural
development of the state will find a
peruSaI Of the Olivet geologic folio,
which has just been issued from the
press of the United States geological
survey, much to their advantage. IN
THIS folio and the foliOs in preparation
concerning the adjacent quadrangles of
Parker, Alexandria II Mitchell. which
VIII be issued within a month, the wa
ter of the district are thor
oHGhIy considered, and important rec
concentrations concerning their conser-
walton and reinforcement arc made.
me OIlVet quadrangle, SO named for
inc town or Olivet, an aggregation of
about $50 souls, lies mostly within the
drainage basin of James river and en-
braces portions of Hutchinson, Bon
homrne, n TanktOn counties. The
country is mostly level, or presents low,
rolling slopes, rising out of broad ey-
panses of plains. The surface is in large
part covered with a mantle of glacial
deposits consisting of gravel, sand, silt,
and clay of varying thickness.
The most important natural resource
OF this quadrangle is water, which is
readily divided into surface Water'and
underground water. Under the former
are included lakes, springs and streams,
and under the latter the sources which
furnish shallow wells, artesian wells
and ubuIar wells.
Most of the lakes in this region are
dry toward the end of the summer.
They receive their waters directly from
the rainfall and their endurance conse-
quently depends on the extent of the
drainage basin, the depth of the reser-
Vo1rs and the Sufliciency or lack of pre-
cipltatlon. After q succession of wet
years the lake beds owe the whole dis
trlct are filled with water, but on the
other hand, during a season when the
rainfall has been light they are some
times dry enough for tillage. Perma-
nent springs in this district are rare,
put a lew occur along James river and
It's principal tributaries. James river
is the only stream that can be depended
upon to contain water throughout the
year. Portions of certain creeks are
seldom entirely dry, but in the latter
part of summer the water rarely flows
continually more than q mile CT two
above their mouths.
The most accessible underground
water is that which flows near the
surface Of the ground, seeping through
the yclloWish upper portion of the till
toward q water course wherever there
are shallow accommodations of sand to
form ondutts for it. Where the slope
of the surface is toward an under
ground basin the water of the yellow
tlll 1loWS out and forms an open lake,
so that the general water level sinks.
1t may then be drawn upon by shall
low wells, and for a nu1nber of years
may prove to be entirely adequate for
the demand of ~neighboring farms. but
IN time OF drought it is gradually ex-
hausted. Early in the period of set
tlement of the region there shallow
wells were the main dependence of the
farmers. In 1881 and a few years sub.
sequent water was abundant in them,
but after a series Of dry years it be-
came exhausted, and farmers were
forced TO go deeper for their supply.
The next lower water is derived
from the sand and gravel at the base
of the drift. These are reached by
penetrating the till by borings, usually
an inch or two in diameter, to a depth
of from 100 to $50 feet and even 900
feet below the surface. There are in
the quadrangle wells of this class which
have been flowing for more than TWEEN
ty years.
The deep wells supplied from sources
in the till are commonly known as
tubular wells. 1t seems evident that
the original source of this supply is
the local rainfall, the same as that of
shallow wells, but it Is a more constant
supply, because the water enters more
gradually. 1t is more continuous and
does not waste in evaporation. 1t
should not, however, be considered in
eXilaustibie, for If Il tubular well. is
drawn upon too freely the supply may
gradually fail, the decline being first
apparent in an elevated region.
1t is universally agreed that the main
artesian supply is derived from the
SANDSTONE n sand beds of the Da-
kota formation. though smaller flows
are obtained from sandstone in the
Benton formation. The Dakota sand
stone owes its capacity as a water
Storer to several causes. The first of
these is it's great extent, for it under
lies most of the Great Plains from the
Rocky Mountains eastwood to about
the ninety-ffth meridian. The high
elevation Of it's western border, which
is located in the moist region Of the
mountains n is crossed by numerous
mountain streams, is of great assist
ance; SO also is the fact that it is large
ly sealed at its eastern margin by the
overlapping Of clays of the Colorado
formation, and, where these are absent,
by the glacial till sheet. The denuda-
ton of wide areas by older streams, es-
pecially in North and South Dakota,
SO as to bring the and surface below
the level OF the pressure height pro-
duced by the elevated source of the
water at the western border of the for
nation is another aus OF the eff
nciency Of the Dakota sa ndstone Dis a
water reservoir. Wells supplied from
the Dakota and everything sandstones
may be either pumping or flowing
wells.
The folio contains a detailed discus
sion of variations in artesian pressure
and includes some valuable suggestions
to well b0rers. The possibility of deep
err flow in certain portions of the
quadrangle seems strong 1t is sug
gested that the supply of underground
water be re-enforced by the construc-
ton, where practicable, of dams across
shallow water courses in such a way
as to produce ponds. The water Of
these Will gradually sink into the
ground and reach the shallow and
tubular wells which are ordinarily re-
plenished by the percolation of rain
fall.
The folio, which is Sc. is the work of
j. e. Todd, who acted under the direc-
ton of N. H. barton. It is q sale pub