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Water Resources of Southeastern Bucks County, Pennsylvania

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Water Resources of Southeastern Bucks County, Pennsylvania GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 104 April 1951 WATER RESOURCES OF SOUTHEASTERN BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA By Jack B. Graham, John W. Mangan, and Walter F. White, Jr. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director Washington, D. C. Free on application to the Geojogical Survey, Washington 25, D. C. WATER RESOURCES OF SOUTHEASTERN BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA By Jack B. Graham, John W. Mangan, and Walter F. White, Jr, CONTENTS Page Page Introduction............................. 1 Surface wa.ter Continued Cllmate.................................. 2 Other streams.......................... 11 Sources of water......................... 2 Plans for the regulation of the surface Surface water............................ 3 waters of the Delaware River Basin..... 12 Delaware River......................... 3 Ground water............................. 13 Navigation........................... 3 Geology of the area.................... 14 Range of tide........................ 4 Relation of geology to ground-water Gaging and sampling station.......... 4 supply................................ 14 Floods............................... 5 Chemical quality of ground water....... 14 Water temperature.................... 6 Ground-water potentialities in the Chemical quality of water............ 7 valley depos its....................... 14 Suspended-sediment discharge......... 7 Possible use of wells for developing Delaware Division of Pennsylvania Canal 8 surface-water infiltration............ 16 Neshaminy Creek........................ 8 Water laws............................... 17 Gaging and sampling station.......... 9 Summary................................... 19 Probable flow variation.............. 9 Sources of additional information........ 20 Water temperature..............'...... 11 Selected references...................... 20 Chemical quality of water............ 11 ILLUSTRATIONS Page Plate 1. Map showing water resources of southeastern Bucks County, Pa. fin pocket) Figure 1. Delaware River Basin showing the area covered by this report fin black)............ 2 2. Flood frequencies on Delaware River at Trenton, N. J 3. Air temperature and Delaware River water temperature duration curves, Morrisville, Pa., 1944-49...................................................................... 6 4. Dissolved-solids duration curve, Delaware River at Morrisville, Pa., 1944-49....... 7 5. Flow-duration curve for Neshaminy Creek near Langhorne, Pa......................... 9 6. Discharge available .without storage in Neshaminy Creek near Langhorne, Pa.......... 10 7. Flow-duration curves for Mill Creek and Common Creek............................... 11 8. Discharge available without storage in Mill Creek and Common Creek................. 12 9. Areas of high and low ground-water yield and areas of heavy pumping................ 15 10. North-south geologic section from Morrisville, Pa., to the Delaware River near Newbold Island, N.J............................................................... 17 11. Configuration of bedrock surface in southeastern Bucks County, Pa.................. 18 12. Schematic cross section of a river valley showing infiltration of river water to a ne arby we11....................................................................... 19 TABLES Page Table 1. Precipitation and temperature at George School.................................... 1 2. Average monthly and annual discharge of Delaware River at Trenton, N. J. ( Morris­ ville , Pa.)....................................................................... 4 3. Major floods in Delaware River at Trenton, N. J., 190-3-50.......................... 6 4. Air and water temperature, Trenton, N. J........................................... 7 5. Chemical analyses of Delaware River water at Trenton, N. J. (Morrisville, Pa.), 1944-49........................................................................... 8 6. Suspended-sediment discharge, Delaware River at Trenton, N. J\ fMorrisville, Pa.), September 1949-September 1950..................................................... 8 7. Average monthly and annual discharge of Neshaminy Creek near Langhorne, Fa......... 10 8. Chemical quality of Neshaminy Creek water near Langhorne, Pa....................... 12 9. Chemical quality of the waters of small streams in southeastern Bucks County, Pa... 13 10. Chemical quality of ground water in southeastern Bucks County, Pa.................. 16 INTRODUCTION nection with Investigations for other purposes. Most of the data used in this report have been This report has been prepared as a contribu­ obtained by the United States Geological Survey tion to the development of southeastern Bucks in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department County, Pa. It summarizes available information of Forests and Waters, the Pennsylvania Depart­ on the water resources of this 90-square mile ment of Internal Affairs, the Pennsylvania area and evaluates current supplies. Future Department of Commerce, and State Planning development of the area may change both the Board, the City of Philadelphia, the Corps of available quantity and the quality of the water Engineers, and the Interstate Commission on the supply. The effective development of the area Delaware River Basin. demands a continuing knowledge of the water used and the potential quantity and quality of This report was prepared in the Water Re­ water available from both underground and sur­ sources Division of the U.S.Geological Survey face sources. by Jack B. Qraham, District Geologist; John W. Mangan, District Engineer; and Walter F. White, The area is strategically important to a great Jr., District Chemist, under the general direc­ industrial section of the Bast. Its eastern tion of C. G. Paulsen, Chief Hydraulic Engineer. boundary is a 26-mile segment of the Delaware River along the extreme southeastern border of CLIMATE Bucks County, Pa. (fig. 1). The present.popula­ tion of the area is about 40,000, including Southeastern Bucks County probably has the 24,800 in Bristol Borough and Township and mildest climate of any area in the Commonwealth. 6,770 in Morrisville. The area is traversed It is in the eastern coastal belt and has a typ­ by both the Pennsylvania and the Reading Rail­ ical maritime climate. Precipitation averages roads and also by U.S. Highways 1 and 13. These about the same as for Pennsylvania as a whole are main transportation routes connecting the and is evenly.distributed throughout the year. great market outlets of Philadelphia and New Snow is uncommon before December* and after early York. The Delaware River'is navigable from April. Snow cover may be expected for a total Morrisville to the sea. The area is only a of less than 30 days in any normal year. Hurri­ short distance upstream from the Port of Phila­ canes and tornadoes, although rere, are not delphia, which ranks second only to New York as unknown. Once every four or five winters a the most important seaport in the United States. severe glaze storm will occur. Owing to proxim­ ity of the ocean, the area has relatively high The area is mostly flat, open land 10 to 60 humidity, averaging about 57 percent for the feet above mean sea level. It contains several year. No extremely high or low temperatures large Industries, concentrated chiefly in the occur. For only about one day in the average Bristol area (pi. 1). There are also scattered year is a temperature of 0° F. recorded, and industries in the Morrisville, Langhorne, and the temperature in summer very rarely will rise Bensalem areas. However, Bucks County retains to 100° F. some of the characteristics of a farming region. Truck farming and gardening are still carried The United States Weather Bureau has main­ on to a considerable extent. Along Delaware tained a precipitation-temperature station at River below Morrisville the mining of sand and George School for the past 41 years. George gravel is an Important industry. School is 2 miles north of Langhorne and just outside the northwest map boundary of plate _!. The facts summarized in this report have been It is believed that the following records for accumulated over a period of 25 years or more George School are representative of the condi­ by Federal, State, and local agencies in con­ tions of the area. Table 1.--Precipitation and temperature at George School Precipitation (1907-49) Average Average air depth temperature Month Maximum Minimum Average of snow (1909-49) (Inches) ( inches ) (inches) ( inches ) HO January 7.74 1.34 3.40 7.2 31.2 February 5.85 1.26 2.79 8.2 31.4 March 8.58 .57 3.42 4.4 40.7 April 6.65 1.23 3.52 1.2 50.4 May 8.49 1.17 3.78 .0 61.3 June 9.93 .21 3.8C .0 69.5, July 16.11 .50 4.68 .0 74.2 August 11.84 1.05 . 4.52 .0 72.4 September 8.72 .35 3.56 .0 66.4 October 7.87 .29 3.13 .1 55.5 November 8.62 .35 3.05 .9 44.1 December 7.17 1.06 3.28 5.4 33.5 Annual 54.28 30.81 42,93 27.4 52.6 SOURCES OF WATER mains on the surface of plants and on the ground and is subsequently evaporated". Still Precipitation is the common source of. essen­ another part enters the soil where it is held tially all the water contained on the surface for a time and later is used by plants in the or underground. During a typical rain some wa­ process of transpiration. Finally, that part of ter runs over the land surface and immediately the rain not thus disposed of seeps deeper becomes part of the flow of small streams and through the soil, reaching the ground-water zone. of the Delaware River. Part of the water re­ It then begins its slow lateral
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