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Hydrogeologic Evaluation of Sand and Gravel Aquifers for Municipal Groundwater Supplies in East-Central Illinois

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Hydrogeologic Evaluation of Sand and Gravel Aquifers for Municipal Groundwater Supplies in East-Central Illinois Cooperative Groundwater Report 8 HYDROGEOLOGIC EVALUATION OF SAND AND GRAVEL AQUIFERS FOR MUNICIPAL GROUNDWATER SUPPLIES IN EAST-CENTRAL ILLINOIS John P. Kempton, Walter J. Morse, and Adrian P. Visocky Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources State Geological Survey Division State Water Survey Division Prepared in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Water Resources June 1982 Figures and cover: Craig Ronto Editor: Ellen Stenzel Kempton, John P. Hydrogeologic evaluation of sand and gravel aquifers for municipal groundwater supplies in east-central Illinois / John P. Kempton, Walter J. Morse and Adrian P. Visocky — Champaign, III. : State Geological Survey Division and State Water Survey Division, June 1982. 59 p. : ill. ; 28 cm. — (Illinois—Geological Survey. Cooperative groundwater report; 8) 1. Geology—Illinois. 2. Aquifers—Illinois. Water, Under• ground—Illinois. I. Title. II. Morse, Walter J. III. Visocky, Adrian P. IV. Series. Printed by authority of the State of Illinois/1982/3500 Cooperative Groundwater Report 8 HYDROGEOLOGIC EVALUATION OF SAND AND GRAVEL AQUIFERS FOR MUNICIPAL GROUNDWATER SUPPLIES IN EAST-CENTRAL ILLINOIS John P. Kempton Walter J. Morse Illinois State Geological Survey 615 East Peabody Drive Champaign, Illinois 61820 Adrian P. Visocky Illinois State Water Survey 605 East Springfield Champaign, Illinois 61820 This study has been supported, in part, by funds provided by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Water Resources, Frank Kudrna, Director. June 1982 CONTENTS ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION: Previous Studies, Methods of Study 3 GEOLOGIC CONTROLS OF GROUNDWATER AVAILABILITY General Principles Geologic Framework of East-Central Illinois 4 STRATIGRAPHY AND DISTRIBUTION OF SAND AND GRAVEL AQUIFERS General Stratigraphic Relationships 6 Stratigraphic and Areal Distribution Banner Formation aquifers Glasford Formation aquifers Wedron Formation aquifers Surficial aquifers 21 HYDROLOGIC APPRAISAL OF AQUIFERS Hydraulic Properties 24 Appraisal of Aquifers Summary of Test Well Program 27 Water Quality 30 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS 30 RECOMMENDATIONS REFERENCES 31 APPENDIXES 1. Aquifer Tests and Specific-Capacity Data 33 2. Chemical Analyses of Water from Selected Wells 45 3. Data from Stratigraphic Test Holes and Test Wells 53 4. Data from Well DAA 16 54 5. Data from Well DAA 20 56 6. Data from Well DAA 21 58 iii FIGURES 1. Location of study area, test holes, and cross sections 2 2. Bedrock geologic map of Illinois 5 3. Bedrock topography 7 4. Drift thickness 8 5. Stratigraphy of deposits and their potential as aquifers 10 6. Areal distribution of surf icial till formations and members 11 7. Elevation top of Robein Silt 12 8. Generalized regional cross sections 13-17 9. Banner Formation aquifers 18 10. Glasford Formation aquifers 19 11. Wedron and Henry Formation aquifers 20 12. Summary of aquifer conditions 23 TABLES 1. Summary of leakage coefficients and vertical hydraulic conductivity in study area 25 2. Summary of leakage coefficients and vertical hydraulic conductivity in Illinois 25 3. Summary of aquifer-test and specific-capacity data 26 4. Assessment of sand and gravel aquifers 28 5. Ranges and mean values of mineral constituents for selected well water samples 30 iv HYDROGEOLOGIC EVALUATION OF SAND AND GRAVEL AQUIFERS FOR MUNICIPAL GROUNDWATER SUPPLIES IN EAST-CENTRAL ILLINOIS ABSTRACT tions range from artesian to water table. Water quality does Glacial sand and gravel aquifers have been identified strati- not differ substantially from formation to formation and is graphically and mapped in a 50- by 80-mile rectangular area generally of good quality for municipal use. of east-central Illinois. Located within the area are several Aquifers in east-central Illinois are unevenly distributed. water-short communities as well as the cities of Danville, All major aquifers, including the Mahomet Sand, are con• Champaign, Urbana, Decatur, Shelbyville, Mattoon, Charles• centrated in the western half of the region. In the eastern ton, and Paris. An evaluation of all existing subsurface data, half, the limited size and thickness of the aquifers restrict including data from 14 test holes and 7 test wells drilled for current and future development of public groundwater sup• this study, indicates that only slightly more than half this plies. Communities with insufficient or marginal water sup• region is underlain by aquifers with a potential for yielding plies must assess the costs of prospecting for local sources municipal groundwater supplies. in relation to the costs of acquiring access to the nearest The principal aquifer is the Mahomet Sand, a basal pre- dependable, productive aquifer. Cooperation between com• Illinoian Banner Formation aquifer partially filling the munities would contribute to the economical, efficient ex• buried Mahomet Bedrock Valley located generally west of ploration for and development of available resources. Champaign. The Mahomet Sand is more than 100 feet thick Finally, further study and evaluation of the principal aqui• in many locations and averages just under 10 miles wide fers, particularly of the underdeveloped Mahomet Sand, is over its approximately 30-mile length within east-central necessary to determine their maximum potential and pro• Illinois. Yields of individual wells from the aquifer are as mote responsible development and management. high as 3500 gpm. Elsewhere in the region, small, thin aqui• fers occur within the Banner Formation. The Glasford Formation (Illinoian) overlies the Banner ACKNOWLEDGMENTS and contains extensive sand and gravel aquifers, mainly at This study was supported under contract through the its base, throughout the western and northern parts of the University of Illinois by the Illinois Department of Trans• region. Although Glasford aquifers are second in signifi• portation, Division of Water Resources, Frank Kudrna, cance to the Mahomet Sand, primarily because they are Director. John K. Flowe and Siavash Mastoufi from the thinner and cover less area, the largest of these may still Division of Water Resources were project contract managers. yield up to 1000 gpm in local situations. Keros Cartwright, Head of the Hydrogeology and A basal Wedron Formation (Wisconsinan) aquifer has Geophysics Section of the State Geological Survey, and been mapped in numerous, small scattered areas; wells at Richard J. Schicht, Assistant Chief for Research and some of these locations yield up to 500 gpm. Similar yields Services of the State Water Survey, provided general direc• are also obtained from some areas of the surficial Henry tion and technical review during the preparation of this Formation, which is present as narrow fills of the principal report. James P. Gibb, Head of the Groundwater Section river valleys and a narrow, discontinuous plain just outside of the State Water Survey, also reviewed the manuscript the margin of the Wedron Formation. and critiqued the hydrologic portions. Ann C. Sternberg Scattered aquifers have been documented throughout contributed significantly to the compilation and evaluation the region; however, there are probably no widespread, of the basic geologic data used for the study. W. Hilton highly productive aquifers remaining to be identified. Johnson, Department of Geology, University of Illinois, Hydraulic conductivities are highly variable in the shal• and H. D. Glass, State Geological Survey, provided data lower deposits, even within well fields, but become uni• and suggestions for stratigraphic interpretations and cor• formly greater with depth. Storage coefficients reflect relations. Philip C. Reed, Michael L. Sargent, and Kemal artesian conditions in the Mahomet Sand as well as other Piskin, State Geological Survey, aided in the geophysical Banner Formation aquifers; in the shallower units, condi- loggings and sampling of the test holes and wells. SAND AND GRAVEL AQUIFERS IN EAST-CENTRAL ILLINOIS 1 Figure 1. Location of study area, stratigraphic test holes, and lines of cross sections. INTRODUCTION relationship to each community will determine the long- Numerous communities throughout Illinois experienced term availability of groundwater for each community. water supply problems when drought conditions developed in 1976 and continued into 1978. In response to these problems, the Illinois Department of Transportation, Previous Studies Division of Water Resources, cooperating with the Illinois Since the bedrock of east-central Illinois has a very limited State Water Survey and the Illinois State Geological Survey, potential for development of municipal groundwater began an assessment of public groundwater supplies. supplies, recent geologic and hydrologic studies related to The first phase of this assessment focused on communities groundwater availablity have focused on the glacial deposits that are situated outside of the six-county Chicago metro• (Foster, 1953). Studies by Horberg (1945,1950,1953) and politan area and are dependent upon groundwater as a later by Piskin and Bergstrom (1975) provided some of the source of supply. A preliminary appraisal indicated that at hydrogeologic background for later studies by establishing least 39 communities have marginal or deficient supplies the regional character of bedrock topography and the in terms of present demands (Visocky et al., 1978; Poole thickness of overlying glacial deposits. One of the most and Heigold, 1981). significant of Horberg's contributions was the definition A preliminary study for 24 of these communities
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