Water Resources of the Scottsville Area Kentucky
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Geology and Ground- Water Resources of the Scottsville Area Kentucky GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1528 Prepared in cooperation with the Com monwealth of Kentucky, Department of Economic Development and the Kentucky Geological Survey, Univer sity of Kentucky Geology and Ground- Water Resources of the Scottsville Area Kentucky By WILLIAM B. HOPKINS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1528 Prepared in cooperation with the Com monwealth of Kentucky, Department of Economic Development and the Kentucky Geological Survey, Univer sity of Kentucky UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1963 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. CONTENTS Page Abstract._ ______________________________________________________ 1 Introduction ______________________________________________________ 2 Purpose and scope of investigation_____________________________ 2 Location of area_____________________________________________ 2 Method of investigation._______________________________________ 4 Acknowledgments _____________________________________________ 4 Well-numbering system ________________________________________ 4 Previous investigations_________________________________________ 5 Geography__ ____________________________________________________ 6 Drainage._-__-__-___-_-_-_-_-_________________-_________-_--_ 6 Geomorphology__ _ _ __________________________________________ 6 Climate ______________________________________________________ 7 Population and culture_________________________________________ 9 Transportation._ ______________________________________________ 9 Mineral resources____________________________________________ 9 Geology _--__---_--______-___-_-_________________-_______-_-_----- 10 Stratigraphy. _________________________________________________ lO Rocks of Cambrian and Ordovician age__--_---__-___________ 1^ Limestones of Silurian and Devonian age_____________________ ll Shale of Devonian age_-_________________----___----___---- l3 Mississippian system_____--______-__--____---_-_----------- 1^ Kinderhook and Osage series..-_________________________ 14 Meramec series_-_________________-___-_-_____-----_-_- 1^ Quaternary system.____-__-______________-_------__----_-- 18 Structure.---.____________--_____,__.....___---__----__----_-- 19 History._________________________________---________---_--- 20 Water resources._-__-_-__-_---__---_______________-___---___----_- 21 Hydrologic cycle. ____-________-__________--____--__-_--------- 21 Surface water.________________________________________________ 21 Ground water_________________________________________________ 21 Source of ground water______________________________---_--- 21 Occurrence.________--_______________----_----__----_----- 22 Porosity of aquifer_______________-__---_----__--_-----_ 22 Permeability of aquifer________________--_____-_-------- 23 Artesian versus water-table conditions____________________ 23 Openings in consolidated rocks________-_-______---_----- 24 Louisville and Sellersburg limestones._____________--- 24 Chattanooga shale._______________-___-_---_------- 25 New Providence shale and Fort Payne chert ---------- 25 Warsaw and St. Louis limestones-______________---_- 26 Openings in unconsolidated sediments._____________---__- 26 in IV CONTENTS Water resources Continued Ground water Continued Page Recharge. ________________________________________________ 26 Precipitation__ ________________________________________ 26 Stream losses--________-__________----_-________-_____ 27 Interformational leakage____________----____---__-_____ 27 Consolidated rocks_________________---_-____---________ 29 Louisville and Sellersburg limestones.________________ 29 Chattanooga shale__-_--___-_-----------------_--_- 31 New Providence shale and Fort Payne chert__________ 31 Warsaw and St. Louis limestones._-_-____-__-_______ 32 Mantle rock__________________________________________ 32 Movement..._____________________________________________ 33 Movement in consolidated rocks--__--__-_-_--------____- 33 Louisville and Sellersburg limestones_________________ 33 Chattanooga shale.________________________________ 34 New Providence shale and Fort Payne chert-_________ 34 Warsaw and St. Louis limestones.___________________ 35 Movement in mantle rock______________________________ 35 Discharge ______-_--___-______________-________-_-_----___ 36 Springs______________ _________________________________ 36 Evapotranspiration. ___________________________________ 37 Wells._______________________________________________ 37 Consolidated rocks___________________________________ 37 Louisville and Sellersburg limestones.________________ 37 Chattanooga shale______________---______-___-----_ 38 New Providence shale and Fort Payne chert__________ 38 Warsaw and St. Louis limestones_______________ ____ 39 Mantle rock__________________________________________ 39 Availability of ground water________________________________ 40 Availability of ground water from consolidated rocks_______ 40 Louisville and Sellersburg limestones-_______________ 40 Chattanooga shale______________-___-____---------_ 41 New Providence shale and Fort Payne chert __________ 41 Warsaw and St. Louis limestones,___________________ 41 Availability of ground water from mantle rock ____________ 42 Use of ground water_______________________________________ 42 Springs_ _ ___________________________________________ 42 Wells. _______________________________________________ 43 Chemical quality of ground water___________________________ 44 Methods of expressing analyses____-____-____-_------__-_ 46 Parts per million__________________________________ 46 Equivalents per million_______________-_-__---_-__ 47 Characteristics of ground water _________________________ 47 Types of ground water in the Scottsville area_____________ 48 Louisville and Sellersburg limestones.________________ 49 Chattanooga shale.________________________________ 50 New Providence shale and Fort Payne chert---.------ 50 Warsaw and St. Louis limestones-___________________ 51 Mantle rock.____'__-______________________________ 51 History of water development_______________________-------_ 51 Scottsville water supply._______________________-------_ 51 Rural use of water_______________-_____________------ 52 CONTENTS V Water resources Continued Ground water Continued Page Fluctuations of water level_____-_-____________--_--_--______ 52 Response to atmospheric-pressure changes________________ 52 Response to rainfall__________________________________ 53 Long-term trends__-_-_-________-__-___--------_--___-- 54 Potential development of ground-water supplies-_--___________ 58 Future investigations______________________________________ 65 Summary. ________________________________________________________ 65 Selected bibliography______________________________________________ 67 Records of wells, springs, and measured sections-______________________ 69 Index-___________________________________________________________ 331 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in pocket] PLATE 1. Generalized geologic map showing structure contours on top of Chattanooga shale and stratigraphic section of the Scottsville area, Kentucky. 2. Map of Scottsville area, Kentucky, showing location of wells and springs. 3. Map of Scottsville area, Kentucky, showing chemical analyses and sources of water. Page FIGURE 1. Index map of Kentucky showing progress of ground-water investigations. ________________________________________ 3 2. Sketch showing system used for numbering wells and springs. 5 3. Graphs showing annual precipitation at Bowling Green_ _ _ _ _ 7 4. Graphs showing monthly temperature and precipitation at Bowling Green_______________________________________ 8 5. Graph showing relation of water level in well to gage height of nearby stream,____________________________________ 28 6. Diagram showing possible movement of water from one valley to another under an intervening ridge_____________ 30 7. Diagram illustrating the modes of occurrence of ground water in the Fort Pa'yne chert________________-_---_----_---- 35 8. Hydrographs of tests on well 8610-3640-253-______________ 43 9. Graphs showing wells subdivided by depth and type and by aquifer.._____________________________--_-_----_-_-_- 45 10. Graphs showing wells subdivided by type of power and use_ _ _. 45 11. Graph showing effect of atmospheric pressure on water levels. _ 53 12. Fluctuations of water level in observation wells 8605-3640-60 and 8605-3635-81 in the Fort Payne chert and semimonthly precipitation, 1950-53___________-__-__-----_---------- 55 13. Fluctuations of water level in observation wells 8605-3640-37, 8610-3640-230, and 8610-3645-50 in the Fort Payne chert and semimonthly precipitation, 1950-53-_____________ 56 14. Fluctuations of water level in observation wells 8610-3640-5, 8610-3640-37, and 8610-3640-115 in the Fort Payne chert and semimonthly precipitation, 1950-53-_ _______-_--_-- 57 VI CONTENTS Page FIGURE 15. Fluctuations of water level in observation well 8605-3640-85 in the Fort Payne chert and semimonthly precipitation, 1950-53______...._.._____._.._.____.___.___.._______ 58 16. Fluctuations of water level in observation wells in the mantle, Louisville limestone, and Fort Payne chert and semi monthly precipitation, 1950-53_ _ _____________________ 59 17. Fluctuations of water level in observation wells 8605-3640-2, and 8610-3645-46 in the Warsaw