STATE OF MINNESOTA Prepared and published with the support of the COUNTY ATLAS SERIES DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES MINNESOTA ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES TRUST FUND and the CLEAN WATER, LAND, AND LEGACY AMENDMENT ATLAS C-19, PART B, PLATE 7 OF 10 DIVISION OF ECOLOGICAL AND WATER RESOURCES Hydrogeology of the Surficial Aquifer R. 19 W. HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE INTRODUCTION R. 18 W. SURFICIAL AQUIFER This atlas is designed for units of government and citizens to use in planning for land use, water supply, St. Loui s and pollution prevention. The data and maps in this atlas show the distribution and physical characteristics of T. 51 N. Brookston the most important aquifers in the study area. They also describe the groundwater flow patterns, aquifer 36 31 35 By 34 relationships, groundwater chemistry, and sensitivity to pollution of the surficial and buried aquifers. The study ¤2 area consists of Carlton County and the portion of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reserva- A A’ James A. Berg tion extending into St. Louis County. 1 6 3 2 The surficial sand aquifer shown on Figure 1 consists of water-saturated, unconsolidated sand and k gravel. This aquifer is a relatively minor direct source of human water supply for domestic and municipal wells. roo B 2011 Mar River Only eight percent of the approximately 3500 wells in the mapped area draw water from this aquifer; the Martin tin Lake e Jo remaining wells rely on water from buried sand and gravel and bedrock sources. The surficial sand aquifer is, however, a vital source of water for most aquatic habitats of rivers, lakes, and wetlands within the extent of this aquifer. Furthermore, this aquifer is the most important recharge source for the underlying buried sand and 92°30' gravel and bedrock aquifers. LOCATION DIAGRAM R. 17 W. ARROWHEAD STONEY BROOK 18 DATA SOURCES T. 50 N. Well data from the database of well logs (County Well Index [CWI]) maintained by the Minnesota Twin SCALE 1:100 000 FOND DU LAC BAND BREVATOR Geological Survey (MGS) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) provided much of the information COMPILATION SCALE 1:100 000 Lakes used to produce the maps, cross sections, and tables of this atlas. Electrical resistivity surveys were conducted at nine locations (shown as short magenta lines, Figure 1) to determine the thickness of surficial sand and gravel B Lost B’ 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 MILES Lake deposits. The electrical resistivity surveys were conducted to fill in data gaps where well records or other drill Simian hole data were rare or absent. The sand and gravel was detected by its resistivity difference from other material. 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 KILOMETERS Brook Lake Creek The base of the surficial sand and gravel deposit is interpreted as an abrupt change from the higher electrical 36 31OF LAKE SUPERIOR resistivity values of the sand and gravel to the lower resistivity values of the clay and silt of the underlying 34 36 92°45' 31 Y 93°00' fine-grained glacial materials. T ST. LOUIS COUNTY ST. LOUIS COUNTY N R. 21 W. R. 20 W. R. 16 W. U Hardwood O Lake CHARACTERISTICS OF SAND AND GRAVEL AQUIFERS

C Elm 1 6

N 1 S

I Creek 6 1 t 6 6 H 6 . 1 K a 1 s Simian 6 L 1 T t y o I Depositional History of the Surficial Sand u

A i CHIPPEWA RESERVATION s 46°45' 46°45' Dead Fish )33 Lake Creek Figure 1 shows the distribution and thickness of surficial sand deposits in the study area. The geologic history of surficial sand deposition is derived from descriptions on Plates 3 and 4 of Part A. Most of the surficial Little Cedar R Lake iv e sand deposits shown in Figure 1 are from outwash deposits of several phases of advance and retreat of the Supe- r T amarack Brook River rior ice lobe, which advanced into the area from the present-day area of Lake Superior. The oldest of these 73 Cloquet River ) deposits are associated with the St. Croix phase and occur in the northern and western portions of the Fond du Miller y Cross y Lake one Lac Reservation with other scattered occurrences in the northwestern portion of the county. A subsequent ice Lake RED CLOVER PROGRESS St CLOQUET Midwa T. 49 N. PERCH LAKE aw THOMSON lobe advance and retreat, called the Split Rock phase, deposited much of the surficial sand and gravel in the T. 49 N. Squ C First C’ southeastern portion of the Fond du Lac Reservation and extending two to three miles south of the southern Lake BESEMAN Third Fond du Lac Reservation boundary. The complex southwest-northeast trending series of sand and gravel depos- Lake its that underlie and surround the Moose Horn River in the south-central portion of the county and Otter Creek ¤61 in the northeast portion were deposited in outwash diversion channels as the Superior ice lobe advanced and Rice Big Esko Portage Creek 35 Lake Perch ¦§ then retreated during the Nickerson Phase. Thick sand and gravel deposits southeast of these diversion channels Otter were also deposited during this phase. During the latest stages of this retreat, glacial Lake Superior formed with

Y a shoreline much farther to the southwest than the present day Lake Superior. The thinner sand deposits in the Lake T 31 N

U southeastern portion of Carlton County that roughly surround the Nemadji River drainage were near-shore and 31 31 36 36 31 36 36 36 31 k O Woodbury Lake e e 31 9000 C deltaic deposits of glacial Lake Superior. 36 D Lake Jaskari r D’

C S Lake I

U

Wild Little O

L Aquifer Specific Capacity and Hydraulic Conductivity

)210 Rice Gill r . amarack e 6 6 T Cromwell 1 Sawyer Lake t River T

1 t 1 n 6 r Th mso R o S 1 6 6 6 O Creek Wright i Island 1 e

v v Reservoir e 1 r Lake Ri Estimating the yield of groundwater from an aquifer requires information about an aquifer’s extent and 210 ) Torchlight C saturated thickness, hydraulic conductivity (ability to transmit water), and other information about the ground- reek Tamarack le Lake Cole tt 210 water system, such as the relationship to recharge sources and other aquifers. The map of the surficial sand e Carlton ) Y Lake K Lake r 7 T Little te River N t N

I aquifer on this plate (Figure 1) and Figures 3 through 11 on Plate 5 of Part A provide aquifer extent and thick-

Creek O St. Louis

U S

O ness. Data to estimate aquifer specific capacity and hydraulic conductivity are obtained by pumping water from

N C

r e t O

E t S E’ a well at a constant rate for a certain period of time. The simplest test of this type, the specific capacity test, is O A Eagle Creek Creek 23 C

Silver ) L S

M I Lake Merwin G defined as well discharge, measured in gallons per minute, divided by feet of water-level drawdown (gpm/ft) in o T. 48 N. Mattlia Lake o U s W Walli Lake e Little Otter O the pumped well. Generally the well is pumped for a limited amount of time, such as an hour. High well specific River

r D Lake ve Bob Horn Ri Lake Jay Cooke T. 48 N. capacity values indicate that large amounts of groundwater can be withdrawn with limited water-level draw- K State Park ettle down in the well. In addition, a high well specific capacity value usually indicates the aquifer has a high hydrau- W Kettle Chub e LAKEVIEW EAGLE Lake CORONA TWIN LAKES SILVER BROOK s lic conductivity value. t ATKINSON Lake Park Limited specific capacity data were available for the mapped area (Table 1). The data in Table 1 were Wrenshall Lake Venoah grouped by general aquifer type including the surficial sand aquifer that is shown on this plate, buried sand and Br Lake an ch gravel aquifers (Plate 9), and the Fond du Lac aquifer. Data from other bedrock aquifers were not available. Wells in the surficial sand and buried sand and gravel aquifers have much higher specific capacities than wells Lac in the Fond du Lac aquifer; their higher specific capacities indicate that these aquifers, where they are present P Hay 31 a La Belle rk Lake 31 31 31 36 31 Heikkila 36 36 36 in the mapped area, might be better water sources. 36 31 L a 31 ke 36 3000 Table 2 is a summary of available aquifer test data in the mapped area. This type of test requires pump- F F’ ing the well for a longer period of time than the specific capacity tests. These data are from municipal and C re Creek e public water supply wells in Barnum, Kettle River, Moose Lake, Moose Lake correctional facility, Carlton, and k ¤61 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 6 1 1 6 Clear 6 Cloquet. These data show that the hydraulic conductivity values of the surficial sand and buried sand and gravel Bear Creek Lake aquifers are roughly comparable, with the surficial sand aquifer having somewhat higher values. Flodin 73 K iver Lake ) in R Mahtowa g Mud Water Table Elevation and Depth W Hizer e

B s Lake Ellstrom t Lake la

c K khoo The mapped area is within four major surface watersheds (Figure 2): Mississippi River (Grand Rapids), ettle Fo D Creek rk 35 e St. Louis River, Kettle River and Nemadji River. The mapped area is at the crest of a major continental hydro- ¦§ f e Rock n r Creek Ri or Creek ve H Munson k logic divide that roughly splits the area east and west. The surface watersheds in the western portion of the r Creek Lake e 9000 Mud re T. 47 N. C mapped area discharge to the Mississippi River Basin, whereas the surface watersheds of the eastern portion of T. 47 N. G’ G oose R M iv the mapped area discharge to the Great Lakes Basin. Since the groundwater sheds within the water table system er AUTOMBA MAHTOWA Blackhoof Creek Lake WRENSHALL Creek are typically very similar to the surface watersheds, the watershed boundaries shown on Figure 2 may be ad BLACKHOOF ck De Benfield Sandy Spring o se Lake R considered approximate groundwater flow divides for the water table system. KALEVALA SKELTON oo Crystal Lake Lake M Lake River The water table elevation of the mapped area is shown in Figure 2. The water table elevation is based

Nemadji on water levels in wells completed in the surficial sand aquifer, the known elevation of lakes and ponds, surface Creek Blackhoo f Fork elevations along rivers and streams, and estimates of wet soil conditions from the Carlton and St. Louis county Lake M soil surveys. The water level data in completed wells was obtained from well records in the CWI database; o Twentynine S S os r kunk ilv e ve Creek River these records represent various climatic conditions from the 1960s to 2008. In addition, the water table eleva- e Ri North r n 36 31 36 31 Hor 36 31 36 31 36 31 31 31 36 tion varies seasonally and yearly according to precipitation conditions. This data variability creates some uncer- Nemadji 8000 ork tainty in the water table elevations shown on the map. 2000 F H Barnum H’ The water table elevation map depicts groundwater flow directions in both the surficial sand aquifer Cr 3000 th 46°30' ee u and locations where this aquifer is not present. The lakes and streams in the surficial sand aquifer area likely 46°30' 6 k 1 6 o 1 6 6 1 6 1 6 S 6 K 1 1 e r receive groundwater discharge that maintains lake levels and stream flow; the water table elevation map can be tt Bear Creek e

l Hun v e Lake ters Spring i

R used to identify the groundwater source areas of those surface-water bodies. In addition, groundwater flow Kettle C ok ree ro k River B gradients can be derived from these maps and used with other information to estimate groundwater flow veloc- Creek Brook ity. For all of these applications, additional site-specific information would be required to make accurate deter- Creek Hanging River River minations. Horn ar le Lake k C The water table depth map (Figure 3) was derived by subtracting the water table elevation in Figure 2 Nemadji ee t Cr e N from the land surface elevation. Shallow water table conditions (0–10 feet) are common in the mapped area. In Creek Silver Nemadji R Gillespie iv ¤61 y 23 scattered locations in the north-central and northeastern parts of the mapped area, the depth to the water table e on ) HOLYOKE T. 46 N. SPLIT ROCK r SILVER MOOSE LAKE St 2000 T. 46 N. was estimated at 50 feet or greater. These areas are generally located at higher land surface elevation areas 10,000 ne I Li I’ where water table depth data were generally not available, but the interpolation model suggested deep values. Moose Creek k 27 r

) o e Water table depth is commonly evaluated to determine the type of septic system that might be needed Net l Lake BARNUM F CLEAR CREEK Graham t 73 d t ) )27 Lake i ehea L for a new dwelling or development. Depth to water table data is also considered for construction projects and Rock s Moo e land use management programs. Groundwater resource protection programs also assess the depth to water to River Lak te Y

r 35 ta T e ¦§ S evaluate the impact of potential pollutant sources.

v N i Anderson Split

R U

Y Moose Lake North

T rn O

o State Park N Moose C H oper U S Groundwater Residence Time e Coffee Lake S O Echo

Lake Lake A C

Lake L Moos 31 31 36 G N 36 31 1000 31 36 36 31

I 36 36 31 31 U Groundwater samples from selected wells across the study area were analyzed to determine the K Net L ke Sand a O

T

I 6000 Lake D

A 6000 approximate age of groundwater, also called residence time. Groundwater residence time is the approximate PINE COUNTY PINE COUNTY R. 21 W. R. 20 W. 1000 R. 19 W. R. 18 W. R. 17 W. R. 16 W. time that has elapsed from the time the water infiltrated the land surface to the time it was pumped from the 93°00' 92°45' 92°30' aquifer for this investigation; it is closely related to the pollution sensitivity concept described on Plate 10. In general, shorter residence time suggests higher pollution sensitivity, whereas longer residence time suggests FIGURE 1. Surficial sand aquifer extent, thickness, and selected chemistry data from sampled surficial sand deposits. In some areas the saturated thickness of the aquifer may be too thin to yield an lower sensitivity. The sample locations are shown on Figure 1 by aquifer and tritium age. In addition, some wells for all aquifers. The thickness of the surficial sand deposits, in which the surficial sand aquifer adequate or reliable supply to a well. The location of all wells that were sampled for general chemistry vintage groundwater samples suspected of have long residence times were analyzed using the carbon-14 occurs, ranges from a few feet to 100 feet. The surficial sand aquifer is the saturated portion of the and isotope analysis for this report are shown for convenience. isotope. Groundwater residence time estimated by tritium and carbon-14 analysis are explained in greater detail on Plate 8. Aquifer symbols with a yellow dot indicate that the groundwater sample from that aquifer had an MAP EXPLANATION FOR FIGURE 1 elevated value of the ratio of chloride to bromide concentration. The groundwater samples with chloride to bromide ratios greater than 190 are interpreted as originating from human activities (anthropogenic). Chloride Estimated surficial sand Sampled well and aquifer symbols Tritium age Map symbols and labels MAP EXPLANATION FOR FIGURE 3 concentration and the ratio of chloride to bromide in water samples have been used in previous groundwater aquifer thickness (feet) studies (Berg, 2008) as an indicator of chloride contamination. Elevated values of the chloride to bromide ratio Surficial sand aquifer. Bedrock aquifers. Color indicates tritium age of water sampled in well. If shown on well symbol, chloride to Water table depth (feet). were not found in any groundwater samples of vintage age. Elevated ratios were found in some recent and Surficial sand not present bromide ratio greater than 190. Buried sand and gravel aquifers.* Hinckley sandstone. Recent—Water entered the ground since mixed groundwater samples scatted throughout the mapped area. Most of the wells with these elevated values or no data available. 0 to 10 were shallower than approximately 150 feet. sm (Moose Lake till). Fond du Lac. about 1953 (10 or more tritium units [TU]). Groundwater sample from spring collected for 0 to 20 chemical analysis; color indicates tritium age. > 10 to 20 sc (Cromwell till). Precambrian crystalline bedrock. Mixed—Water is a mixture of recent and vintage > 20 to 40 > 20 to 30 REFERENCE CITED sc1 (Cromwell till). waters (greater than 1 TU to less than 10 TU). Observation well. > 40 to 60 > 30 to 40 sic (Independence till). Vintage—Water entered the ground before Selected well log used to map extent of aquifer. Berg, J.A., 2008, Hydrogeology of the surficial and buried aquifers [Plate 3], in Regional hydrogeologic 1953 (less than or equal to 1 TU). > 40 to 50 > 60 to 80 sts (Old Red till units). assessment, Traverse-Grant area, west-central Minnesota: St. Paul, Minnesota Department of Natural 2000 If shown, groundwater age in years, estimated > 50 Resources, Regional Hydrogeologic Assessment Series, RHA-6, Part B, scale 1:200,000. > 80 to 100 stw (W sequence till). by carbon-14 (14C) isotope analysis. > 100 to 120 su undifferentiated. Electrical resistivity data. Map symbols and labels > 120 * Buried sand and gravel aquifers are listed with their associated Line of cross section. TABLE 1. Specific capacity of selected wells. underlying till layer (Plate 5, Part A). Static (non-pumping) water level data from [Data adapted from the County Well Index; gpm/ft, gallons per minute per foot; QWTA, Quaternary water-table Body of water. the County Well Index (CWI). aquifer; QBAA, Quaternary buried artesian aquifer; PMFL, Fond du Lac aquifer]

Extent of surficial sand aquifer. Well Specific capacity (gpm/ft)* Aquifer (CWI aquifer code) diameter Number (inches) Mean Minimum Maximum of tests MAP EXPLANATION FOR FIGURE 2 Line of cross section. Surficial sand (QWTA) 8 to 48 22 6 54 6 Body of water. SCALE 1:250 000 Water table elevation (feet above SCALE 1:250 000 Buried sand and gravel (QBAA) 8 to 12 14 7 18 6 COMPILATION SCALE 1:100 000 COMPILATION SCALE 1:100 000 T. 51 N. mean sea level) T. 51 N. Fond du Lac (PMFL) 60 0.2 0.2 0.2 2 ¤2 Brookston ¤2 Brookston 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 MILES 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 MILES A A’ > 1,500 A A’ *Specific capacity is defined as well discharge in gallons per minute per foot (gpm/ft) of water level drawdown. > 1,450 to 1,500 The data set includes only information from wells that were pumped at discharge rates greater than 20 gallons 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 KILOMETERS 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 KILOMETERS per minute. > 1,400 to 1,450 T. 50 N. T. 50 N. FOND DU LAC BAND > 1,350 to 1,400 FOND DU LAC BAND > 1,300 to 1,350 B Brook B’ B Brook B’ TABLE 2. Hydraulic conductivity data from municipal wells. > 1,250 to 1,300 [Data from the Minnesota Department of Health; gpd/ft, gallons per day per foot; QWTA, Quaternary water- OF LAKE SUPERIOR OF LAKE SUPERIOR table aquifer; QBAA, Quaternary buried artesian aquifer] ST. LOUIS COUNTY ST. LOUIS COUNTY > 1,200 to 1,250 ST. LOUIS COUNTY ST. LOUIS COUNTY Hasty Hasty St. Louis River > 1,150 to 1,200 Well watershed Hydraulic conductivity (gpd/ft) Number Stoney Stoney diameter CHIPPEWA RESERVATION )33 CHIPPEWA RESERVATION )33 Aquifer (CWI aquifer code) LIttle Tamarack > 1,100 to 1,150 LIttle Tamarack (inches) of tests Brook St. Louis Brook St. Louis Mean Minimum Maximum River Cloquet River Cloquet T. 49 N. > 1,050 to 1,100 T. 49 N. C C’ C C’ Surficial sand (QWTA) 6 to 12 138 57 350 6 Scanlon > 1,000 to 1,050 Scanlon Mississippi River Creek ¦§35 Creek ¦§35 Buried sand and gravel (QBAA) 10 to 12 92 5 200 3 Otter River > 950 to 1,000 Otter River (Grand Rapids) River River watershed Cromwell 210 > 900 to 950 Cromwell 210 D ) D’ D ) D’ Wright Thomson > 850 to 900 Wright Thomson Tamarack Tamarack Creek Creek Carlton > 800 to 850 Carlton LIttle LIttle E’ > 750 to 800 E’ E Y E Y N N Otter T Otter T T. 48 N. Jay Cooke T. 48 N. Jay Cooke SI SI State Park UN > 700 to 750 State Park UN N N 73 O 73 O ) C ) C O O

C > 650 to 700 C Wrenshall AS Wrenshall AS L L

Kettle River G G WIS WIS

U 605 to 650 U

watershed O O F River D F River D F’ Map symbols and labels F’ r r ve ve Ri Ri Static (non-pumping) water

e e T. 47 N. l Nemadji River T. 47 N. l tt level data from the County tt

e e

K watershed K G G’ Well Index (CWI). G G ’ River River Y Horn ¦§35 Direction of groundwater Y Horn ¦§35 T T

UN flow at the water table in UN

O River O River C C

Nemadji the surficial sand aquifer. Nemadji H N Fork H’ H N Fork H’ Barnum Direction of groundwater Barnum

AITKI South AITKI South Kettle River Nemadji flow at the water table in Kettle River Nemadji )23 non-aquifer areas. )23 This map was compiled and generated using geographic information systems (GIS) T. 46 N. Moose T. 46 N. Moose The DNR Information Center technology. Digital data products, including chemistry and geophysical data, are available )73 Downstream direction of )73 from DNR at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters. I I’ I I’ Twin Cities: (651) 296-6157 This map was prepared from publicly available information only. Every reasonable effort Moose streamflow. Moose Minnesota toll free: 1-888-646-6367 Moose Lake Moose Lake has been made to ensure the accuracy of the factual data on which this map interpretation is )27 Lake )27 Lake Information for the hearing impaired (TDD/TTY): (651) 296-5484 based. However, the Department of Natural Resources does not warrant the accuracy, State Park Surface watershed boundary. State Park TDD/TTY Minnesota toll free: 1-800-657-3929 completeness, or any implied uses of these data. Users may wish to verify critical informa- DNR web site: http://www.mndnr.gov tion; sources include both the references here and information on file in the offices of the Minnesota Geological Survey and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Every Extent of surficial sand effort has been made to ensure the interpretation shown conforms to sound geologic and R. 21 W. PINE COUNTY R. 20 W. R. 19 W. R. 18 W. R. 17 W. R. 16 W. R. 21 W. PINE COUNTY R. 20 W. R. 19 W. R. 18 W. R. 17 W. R. 16 W. This information is available in alternative format on request. cartographic principles. This map should not be used to establish legal title, boundaries, or aquifer. locations of improvements. Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of the Minnesota Department Base modified from Minnesota Geological Survey, Carlton County Geologic Atlas, Part A, FIGURE 2. Water-table elevation in surficial sediments and groundwa- streams, and estimates made from wet soil data from the National FIGURE 3. Water table depth. Shallow water table conditions (0-10 feet) the water table depth is estimated to be 50 feet or more. Water table depth of Natural Resources is available regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual 2009. Line of cross section. orientation, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, age, or disability. Project data compiled from 2009 to 2010 at a scale of 1:100,000. Universal Transverse ter flow direction. The water-table elevation shown on this map is based Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). The groundwater flow arrows are common in the study area with the exception of scattered locations is derived by subtracting the water table elevation shown in Figure 2 from Discrimination inquiries should be sent to Minnesota DNR, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, Mercator projection, grid zone 15, 1983 North American datum. Vertical datum is mean sea on water levels in wells completed in the surficial aquifer, the known show the general direction of groundwater flow at the water table. The mostly in the north central and northeastern parts of the study area where the elevation of the land surface. MN 55155-4031, or the Equal Opportunity Office, Department of the Interior, Washington, level. Body of water. DC 20240. GIS and cartography by Jim Berg, Greg Massaro, and Shana Pascal. Edited by Neil elevation of lakes and ponds measured by the U.S. Geological Survey arrows are black within the area of the surficial sand aquifers and Cunningham. © 2011 State of Minnesota, during topographic map preparation, surface elevations along rivers and gray where this aquifer is not present. Department of Natural Resources, and the Regents of the University of Minnesota. GEOLOGIC ATLAS OF CARLTON COUNTY, MINNESOTA