Water Resources of the Baltimore Area Maryland By E. G. OTTON,. R. O. R. MARTIN, and W. H. DURUM WATER RESOURCES OF INDUSTRIAL AREAS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1499-F UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1964 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, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Abstract_____________________________.. Fl Introduction.. _____________________________________ 1 The hydrologic cycle______________________ __ ______ 5 Low-flow analyses.- _______________ ______ _ 6 Water resources of the Piedmont subarea______________-_-____--_-_-__ 9 Crystalline rocks_____________________________________________ 10 Problems of well and aquifer hydraulics. _____________----___- 13 Water-level fluctuations-_--____-_____-____-----_---_------- 13 Chemical quality of ground water.________________________ 17 Temperature of ground water______________________________- 17 Use of ground water_____________________________________ 19 Susquehanna River __________________________________________ 20 Discharge._____________________________________________ 20 Chemical quality of water._________________________________ 20 Water storage_____________________________________________ 21 Water use. _ ___ _ 21 Deer Creek_________________________ _________ 21 Discharge._______________________________________________ 21 Low-flow frequency______________________________________ 22 Chemical quality of water ______ ____________________________ 23 Floods. _______________________-_--_____ 23 Water use______--____________________________-___-_______ 30 Bush River _____________________________________ 30 Discharge._______________________________________________ 30 Chemical quality of water______________________________ 30 Gunpowder River_____________________________________________ 31 Discharge.... __________ __ ___ _ _ 31 Low-flow frequency______ __________________________________ 33 Chemical quality of water________________________________ 33 Temperature____________________________________________ 36 Water storage____________________________ 36 Floods.._______________________________. 38 Water use________________________________________________ 41 Patapsco River_____________________________________________ 43 Discharge._______________________________________________ 43 Chemical quality of water_.________________________________ 46 Temperature____________________________________________ 47 Water storage___________________________________________ 47 Floods-._________________________________ 50 Water use___________.____________________________________ 50 Patuxent River_____________________________________________ 51 Discharge._______________________________________________ 51 Chemical quality of water__________________________________ 54 Temperature_ ___________________________________________ 55 Water storage___________________________________________ 55 Floods. ___________._____________________ 56 Water use______________________________________ r _________ 57 m IV CONTENTS Page Water resources of the Coastal Plain subarea.__-_-___--__-------_---- F57 Patuxent formation.___________________________________________ 60 Occurrence of ground water___--_____-_-___--__--_-_-------- 61 Water-level fluctuations_____________________-----___.------ 62 Chemical quality of ground water. __________________________ 62 Use of ground water_____________________-____-_--____----- 67 Arundel clay__________________________________________________ 70 Patapsco and Raritan formations._-____-____---_-------_-_------ 70 Occurrence of ground water__________-__-____-_--_________-- 72 Water-level fluctuations-.-.-------------------------------- 73 Chemical quality of ground water_-_______-_-_---_--________ 73 Use of ground water.______________________________________ 73 Magothy formation.___________________________________________ 73 Monmouth formation...._________-____-_-_-___-___-_-_____.-_- 74 Pleistocene and Recent deposits___-________--_-_-_----_--_-___-- 75 Sawmill Creek.____________-___-_____-__-_--_-_------__---_-_- 76 Discharge ____._____________-_._-_____---_-_._--._________ 76 Chemical quality of water-__-____-_____-_--_-_-_--_________ 77 Bacon Ridge Branch.__________________________________________ 77 North River near Annapolis._____-_________-_-__--_-_-_-__-____ 79 Discharge ________________________________________________ 79 Chemical quality of water.__--_________-______--_-__-______ 80 Baltimore Harbor as a source of water.__________________________ 80 Chloride distribution in water_._____________________________ 82 Water temperature________________-_______________________ 85 pH, alkalinity, and acidity of water________________________ 85 Other chemical characteristics of water_______________________ 86 Flushing of the estuary. .__-_-___-___--.___._______________ 87 Saline-water use___-_____--___-______----_-____---_______-_ 87 Salt-water encroachment___________________________________________ 87 Public water-supply systems_________________----_____-_____________ 90 Water supply from sewage effluent_________________________________ 93 Potential supply of fresh water... _________ ____________ ______________ 94 Piedmont subarea.____________________________________________ 94 Coastal Plain subarea--_.____-_-_-_________-___________________ 98 Definition of terms used__-_---____-__-___-_____-____--_____________ 99 References. _______________________________________________________ 101 _-__-_____________________________________________________ 103 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in pocket] PLATE 1. Map of the Baltimore area showing where water resources data have been collected. 2. Generalized geologic map of the Baltimore area. 3. Altitude of the top of the Patuxent formation. CONTENTS V Page FIGURE 1. Index map showing location map of the Baltimore area. ______ F2 2. Streamflow records in the Baltimore area_______.______---_ 7 3. Duration curves of daily flow in five basins in the Baltimore area, 1896-1952___________________________ 8 4 Columnar section showing complex age relationship of meta- morphic and igneous rocks _____________-___------__---- 11 5. Water-level fluctuation in two wells and moving average precipitation in the Piedmont subarea_________________ 15 6. Relation between annual net change in water levels and annual precipitation at Baltimore____________________.__---__- 16 7. Profile of water temperatures in four wells in the Piedmont subarea.____________________________________________ 19 S. Monthly flow of Deer Creek at Rocks, 1927-55...______ 22 9. Duration curve of daily flow, Deer Creek at Rocks.________ 22 10. Low-flow frequency curves, Deer Creek at Rocks___________ 23 11. Chemical and physical characteristics of water from selected streams ______________-______________-_____---------_ 27 12. Flood-stage frequency curve, Deer Creek at Rocks.________ 27 13. Duration curves of daily flow of streams in the Gunpowder River basin__-______-____-_____---_____-----__------- 32 14. Low-flow frequency curves, Little Gunpowder Falls at Laurel Brook__.___._______________________ 32 15. Number of consecutive days of deficient discharge, Little Gunpowder Falls at Laurel Brook_____________-_--__---_ 34 16. Maximum and minimum temperatures of tap water at Ba'ti- more in 1953________.___________________ 37 17. Annual flow of Gunpowder Falls at Loch Raven Dam, 1884- 1956______________________________________ 39 18. Curves of storage required to sustain a given minimum 7-c1ay flow with a specified recurrence interval, Little Gunpowder Falls at Laurel Brook______________________ 40 19. Duration curves of daily flow for streams in the Patapr«?o River basin__________________________________________ 44 20. Duration curves of daily flow, Patapsco River at Hollofield__ _ _ 45 21. Low-flowfrequency curves, Piney Run near Sykesville______ 46 22. Curves of storage required to sustain a given minimum 7-day flow with a specified recurrence interval, Piney Run near Sykesville--___________________________ 48 23. Duration curves of daily flow for streams in the Patuxent River basin______________________________________ 53 24 Low-flow frequency curves, Little Patuxent River at Guilford_ 53 25. Low-flow frequency curves, Dorsey Run near Jessup_. ___-.__ 54 26. Curves of storage required to sustain a given minimum 7-<?ay flow with a specified recurrence interval, Little Patuxent River at Guilford___________________________________ 56 27. Map showing location of industrial districts______________ 68 28. Geology at the well field of the Anne Arundel County Sanitary Commission at Glen Burnie__________________________ 71 29. Geology along the lower Severn River near Annapolis_______ 71 30. Duration curves of daily flow for three streams in the Coaetal Plain. ____________________..___________... 77 31. Low-flow frequency curves for North River near Annapolis. 79 VI CONTENTS Page FIGURE 32. Curves of storage required to sustain a given minimum 7-day flow with a specified recurrence interval for North River near Annapolis.._____________________________________ F80 33. Monthly chloride concentration in main channel of F^.tapsco River, Baltimore Harbor_______________-______________ 82 34. Range and median chloride concentration in main channel, Baltimore Harbor, 1947-49______-__ -_________ 83 35. Idealized sections showing movement of water in shallow aquifers: (A) Movement of fresh water prior to heavy pumping in industrial