Water Resources of the Pittsburgh Area Pennsylvania
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GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 315 WATER RESOURCES OF THE PITTSBURGH AREA PENNSYLVANIA UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OP THE INTERIOR Douglas McKay, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 315 WATER RESOURCES OF THE PITTSBURGH AREA, PENNSYLVANIA By Max Noecker, D. W. Greenman, and N. H. Beamer Washington, D. C., 1954 Free on application to the Geological Survey, Washington 25, D. G. PREFACE This report is one of a series concerning water re The information on water used by industry in Alle sources of selected industrial areas of national impor gheny County was obtained largely by the Pennsylvania tance and has been prepared at the request of the Busi Department of Internal Affairs. The first attempt to ness and Defense Services Administration of the De collect reliable data of this kind in Pennsylvania on a partment of Commerce. The series is intended to pro statewide basis was made in 1951 when the Pennsylva vide information of value for national defense and re nia Department of Internal Affairs revised its annual lated purposes and is being prepared in the Water Re questionnaire sent to more than 20, 000 industries in sources Division under the technical guidance of J. B. Pennsylvania so that specific information could be ob Graham and K. A. MacKichan. This report was pre tained on industrial water use from all sources of pared by Max Noecker, under the supervision of J. W. supply. Mangan, district engineer (Surface Water); by D. W. Greenman, under the supervision of P. H. Jones, All public water-supply agencies have cooperated by district geologist (Ground Water); and by N. H. furnishing detailed data on water supply within the Beamer, district chemist (Quality of Water). areas that they serve. Additional data were obtained from industries, State and local government officials, Most of the data summarized in this report were and individuals. A few of those deserving special men collected over a period of many years by the U. S. tion are the United States Weather Bureau, the Penn Geological Survey in cooperation with the Corps of sylvania Department of Health, the United States Bu Engineers, Department of the Army, and the following reau of the Census, the Allegheny Conference on Com agencies of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: munity Development, the Duquesne Light Co., the Department of Forests and Waters, Department of West Penn Power Co., and the Pressed Steel Car Co., Internal Affairs, and the State Planning Board of the Inc. Department of Commerce. CONTENTS Page Page Abstract............................................. 1 Surface water Continued Introduction........................................ 1 Pollution and its control............................ 29 Purpose and scope of investigation and Floods and flood control........................... 29 location of area.......................... 1 Navigation.............................................. 33 Description of area........................... 2 Ground water.............................................. 34 Topography and drainage................. 2 Summary of geology.................................. 34 Geology....................................... 2 Hydrology................................................ 36 Climate....................................... 3 Principles of ground-water occurrence...... 36 Natural resources.......................... 7 Sources of ground water.......................... 40 Population.................................... 7 Water-level fluctuations.......................... 41 Industrial development.................... 7 Quality of ground water........................... 44 Definition of hydrologic terms............. 7 Public water supplies.................................... 47 Sources of water.................................. 8 Use of water................................................ 52 Surface water...................................... 8 Public supplies......................................... 52 Hydrology........................................ 8 Private industrial supplies.......................... 53 Allegheny River............................. 10 Rural supplies.......................................... 54 Buffalo Creek................................ 14 Possibility of increasing water supply.............. 54 Monongahela River......................... 16 Surface water........................................... 54 Youghiogheny R iver........................ 18 Ground wa te r............................................ 54 Turtle Creek................................. 19 Water laws.................................................. 55 Abers Creek................................. 21 Sources of additional information.................... 55 Ohio River.................................. 21 Selected references...................................... 56 Char tiers Creek.................*........... 26 Water temperature......................... 29 ILLUSTRATIONS Page Plate 1. Map of Allegheny County showing valley-fill deposits, stream-gaging stations, and quality-of- water sampling sites.............................................................................................. In pocket 2. Relations among precipitation, river stage, and ground-water levels in the Triangle area, 1946-51................................................................................................................ In pocket Figure 1. Present and probable preglacial drainage patterns of the Ohio-Allegheny River system in western Pennsylvania............................................................................................. 3 2. Annual precipitation and cumulative departure from average precipitation at Pittsburgh........ 4 3. Climatological data for Pittsburgh to 1951..................................................................... 5 4. Growth in population of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, 1900 50..................................... 6 5. Duration curve of daily flows, Allegheny River at Natrona, 1928 37.................................. 11 6. Acidity-alkalinity of Allegheny River water to methyl red................................................ 14 7. Average monthly hardness as CaCOs, Allegheny River at Aspinwall, 1939 51..................... 14 8. Duration curve of daily flows, Buffalo Creek, Turtle Creek, and Abers Creek.................... 15 9. Maximum period of deficient discharge, Buffalo Creek and Turtle Creek........................... 16 10. Duration curve of daily flows, Monongahela River at Braddock, 1928 37............................ 17 11. Cumulative frequency curve of specific conductance, Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio River waters, 1944 50........................................................................................... 18 12. Acidity of Monongahela River water at Elizabeth ............... v .......................................... 19 13. Average monthly hardness as CaCO3 , Monongahela River water at Mount Oliver station..... 19 14. Duration curve of daily flows, Youghiogheny River at Sutersville, 1928 37......................... 21 15. Relation between streamflow and hardness of Youghiogheny River water at McKeesport, 1941-50............................................................................................................... 22 16. Duration curve of daily flows, Ohio River at Sewickley, 1928 37....................................... 22 17. Flood-stage frequencies, Ohio River at Pittsburgh........................................................ 23 18. Characteristics of the water, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, July 13 24, 1941..................... 24 19. Dissolved solids in Ohio River water at Ambridge and Brunot Island, 10-day composite samples, November 1946 to September 1947............................................................... 25 20. Monthly average, maximum and minimum 10-day composite pH values of Ohio River water at Brunot Island and Ambridge, 1951........................................................................ 2e III IV CONTENTS Page Figure 21. Average monthly hardness as CaCO3 , of Ohio River water at Brunot Island, 1942-51................... 26 22. Duration curve of daily flows, Chartiers Creek at Carnegie, 1920-30, 1933, 1942-51................... 27 23. Maximum period of deficient discharge, Chartiers Creek at Carnegie, 1920-30, 1932, 1941-50..... 28 24. Cumulative frequency curve of water temperature, Monongahela River at Charleroi, 1944 49....... 28 25. Water-surface profiles of Allegheny River for floods of March 1936 and December 1942............... 31 26. Water-surface profiles of Monongahela and Youghiogheny Rivers for floods of March 1936 and December 1942............................................................................................................ 32 27. Water-surface profiles of Ohio'River, for floods of March 1936 and December 1942...................... 33 28. Geologic sections showing the character of the valley-fill deposits in the Allegheny River valley.... 37 29. Geologic sections showing th^ character of the valley-fill deposits in the Ohio and Monongahela River valleys............................................................................................................... 38 30. Geologic sections showing the character of the valley-fill deposits in the Triangle area................ 39 31. Map of the Triangle area showing contours on the land and bedrock surfaces............................. 40 32. Map showing contours on the water table in the Triangle area, January 5 and August 17,