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Water Resources of the Lake Erie Shore Region in Pennsylvania

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Water Resources of the Lake Erie Shore Region in Pennsylvania GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 174 WATER RESOURCES OF THE LAKE ERIE SHORE REGION IN PENNSYLVANIA By John W. Mangan, Donald W. VanTuyl, and Walter F. White, Jr. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Oscar L. Chapman, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CffiCULAR 174 WATER RESOURCES OF THE LAKE ERIE SHORE REGION IN PENNSYLVANIA By John W. Mangan, Donald W. VanTuyl, and Walter F. White, Jr. Based on data collected in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, Pennsylvania Department of Internal Affairs, and Pennsylvania State Planning Board, Department of Commerce Washington, D. C., 1952 Free on application to the Geological Survey, Washington 25, D. C. CONTENTS Page Page Introduction .................................. , ......... .. 1 Surface water-Continued Definition of terms ............................... .. Sevenmile Creek...................................... 22 Population and land area ........•................. Twelvemile Creek.................................... 24 Physical features, ................................. Sixteenmile Creek.................................... 26 Transportation ...................... ~ ............... 3 Ground water ..........................................-... 28 Climate ............................................... 3 Geology and hydrology... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. •. .. .. .. .. 28 Sources of water ...................................... 5 Location and yield of wells........................ 31 Surface water .......................................... 5 Chemical quality..................................... 32 Lake Erie ................................... •H• ..... 5 Present water use...................................... 33 Streams ............................................... 7 Lake Erie. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 33 Conneaut Creek .................................... .. 8 Small streams......................................... 34 Crooked Creek .................................... .. 10 Ground water.......................................... 34 Elk Creek ............................................ 13 Potentialities............................................ 34 Little Elk Creek .................................... 14 Water laws................................................ 35 Walnut Creek........................................ 16 Summary ............. ,................................... 35 Mill Creek ........................................... 17 References cited ...................................... -. 35 Sixmile Creek....................................... 20 Sources of additional information................... 35 ILLUSTRATIONS Page Figure 1. Map showing sources of water for the Lake Erie Shore region in Pennsylvania ........................ .. 2 2. Average maximum and minimum monthly elevations of Lake Erie at Cleveland, Ohio ................ 6 3. Flow-duration curve for Conneaut Creek at Cherry Hill ...................................................... .. 9 4. Discharge available without storage in Conneaut Creek at Cherry Hill ................................... .. 10 5. Flow-duration curve for Crooked Creek at North Springfield ................................................ .. 11 6. Discharge available without storage in Crooked Creek at North Springfield ............................. .. 14 7. Flow-duration curve for Elk Creek at North Girard ................................................- ............. 15 8. Discharge available without storage in Elk Creek at North Girard .......................................... 16 9. Flow-duration curve for Little Elk Creek near Platea .......................................................... 17 10. Discharge available without storage in Little Elk Creek near Platea ....................................... 18 11. Flow-duration curve for Walnut Creek at Weis Library ....................................................... .. 19 12. Discharge available without storage in Walnut Creek at Weis Library ..................................... 20 13 Flow-duration curve for Mill Creek at Erie ....................................................................... 21 14. Discharge available without storage in Mill Creek at Erie.................... ............ .................... 22 15. Flow-duration curve for Sixmile Creek near Harborcreek..................................................... 23 16. Discharge available without storage in Sixmile Creek near Harborcreek.................................. 24 17. Flow-duration curve for Sevenmile Creek at Harborcreek..................................................... 25 18. Discharge available without storl?.ge in Sevenmile Creek at Harborcreek.................................. 26 19. Flow-duration curve for Twelvemile Creek near Moorheadville.............................................. 27 20. Discharge available without storage in Twelvemile Creek near Moorheadville........................... 28 21. Geologic section along west side of Mill Creek Township....................................................... 29 22. Distribution graph showing hardness and chloride content of ground water in the Lake Erie Shore .region............................................................................................................... 30 23. Map of a section east of Wesleyville showing wells sampled and chloride content of water........... 31 II WATER RESOURCES OF THE LAKE ERIE SHORE REGION IN PENNSYLVANIA INTRODUCTION Definition of Terms An abundant supply of water is available to the Lake The records for quantities of water as presented in Erie Shore region in Pennsylvania. Lake i£rie fur­ this report are in units of both million gallons per day nishes an almost inexhaustible supply of water of sat­ (mgd) and cubic feet per second (cfs). Second-feet isfactory chemical quality. Small quantities of water was formerly used in Geological Survey reports as an are available from small streams in the area and from abbreviation of cubic feet per second. the ground. A cubic foot per second. is the rate of discharge A satisfactory water supply is one of the factors that equivalent to that of a stream whose channel is 1 sq affect the economic growth of a region. Cities and ft in cross-sectional area and whose average velocity. towns must have adequate amounts of pure water for is 1 cfs. human consumption. Industries must have suitable water ih sufficient quantities for all purposes. In or­ Cubic feet per second per square mile (csm) is the der to assure. success and economy, the development average number of cubic feet of water flowing per of water resources should be based on adequate knowl­ second from each square mile of area drained, on the edge of the quantity and quality of the water. As a assumption that the runoff is d.istributed uniformly nation, we can not afford to run the risk of dissipating as regards time and area. our resources, especially in times of national emer­ gency, by building projects that are not founded on 1 cfs = 646,317 gpd. sound engineering and adequate water-resources 1 mgd = 1. 55 cfs. information. The results of chemical analyses are reported in The purpose of this report is to summarize and in­ parts per million (ppm). One part per million is·a terpret all available water-resources information for unit weight of a constituent present in a millio~ units the Lake Erie Shore region in Pennsylvania. The re­ weight of water. port will be useful for initial guidance in the location or expansion of water facilities for defense and non­ defense industries and the municipalities upon which Population and Land Area they are dependent. It will also be useful in evaluating the adequacy of the Geological Survey's part of the The area covered by this report is a 46-mile strip basic research necessary to plan the orderly develop­ along Lake Erie averaging about 6 miles in depth ment of the water resources of the Lake Erie Shore (see fig. i). It lies in Erie County, Pa., extending region. from the New York border to the Ohio border and contains the highly industrialized city of Eire­ Most of the data contained inthis report have been Pennsylvania's third largest city. It also contains the obtained'by the U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation rich agricultural lake shore belt which is noted prin­ with the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and cipally for its vineyards and orchards. Seven town­ Waters, the Pennsylvania Department of Internal ships and seven boroughs are included in the area. Affairs, and the Pennsylvania State Planning Board, Data for these political subdivisions are given in Department of Commerce. The Pennsylv~nia Depart­ table 1. ment of Health furnished information on water pollution. Physical Features The report was prepared in the Water Resources Division of the U. S. Geological Survey b:y John W. The region is distinct from others found in Pennsyl­ Mangan (Surface Water). Donald W. VanTuyl (Ground vania. A steep bluff composed mainly of glacial till Water). and Walter F. White, Jr. (Quality of Water), overlying bedrock rises abruptly at the shore of. Lake under the general direction of C. G. Paulsen, chief Erie to as much as 150 ft above the lake. For a dis­ hydraulic engineer. tance of about 2 miles inland from the lake, the surface ~!It EXPLANATION \ ~ • ~ ~ Well sampled for chemical analysis of ground water See toble 6 0 Presque r gaging and sampling Isle \M Jkb Zf!M! Ill at; s':t:~i~n j I See table 4 I f.. -. Area shown on map in figure 23 ~ • \.; ...;; 0 5M~" Q :r 0 aoo Figure
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