Water Resources of the Delaware River Basin By GARALD G. PARKER, A. G. HELY, W. B. KEIGHTON, F. H. OLMSTED and OTHERS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 381 A study of the hydrology and geology of the basin and the effects ofphysical and cultural environments on the water supply UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1964 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director The U.S. Geological Survey Library has cataloged this publication as follows: Parker, Garald Gordon, 1905- Water resources of the Delaware River basin, by Garald G. Parker and others. Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1964. vii, 200 p. illus., maps (7 col.) diagrs. (2 col.) tables. 29 cm. (U.S. Geological Survey. Professional paper 381) Part of illustrative matter fold, in pocket. Bibliography: p. 189-193. 1. Water-supply Delaware River basin. 2. Water, Underground Delaware River basin. I. Title. (Series) For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, B.C. 20402 - Price $6.25 (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Abstract _ --------___---_-__-____-_-_________-____ 1 Ground water its availability and character___________ 38 Introduction _-______-____________.-_____--. ._-_.._ 3 General ground-water hydrology of the basin_______ 38 Acknowledgments__ _ __________________________ 3 Source of ground water________-_---_-------- 38 The Delaware River region and its water problems____ 4 Occurrence and movement.------------------ 38 The role of water resources in the modern community. 4 Discharge_ _ ___________--_---------------- 39 The Delaware River basin and its environment--.__ 4 Types of aquifers_______-_-_--_------------- 40 General description..-._____________________ 4 Hydrologic provinces.______-_____-_--------- 40 The climate.__---_--___-_____--____________ 6 The Coastal Plain___ _____________ ------ 41 Water problems of the Delaware River basin_______ 8 General features__________-----------------_ 41 Natural variations in supply _________________ 8 Occurrence of ground water._______-_-___-_-- 42 Growth of population and industry ___________ 9 Nonmarine sediments of Cretaceous age Increasing agricultural and recreational uses__ 9 the major group of aquifers____________ 48 Increasing per capita use____________________ 10 Merchantville and Woodbury clays a Pollution of streams and aquifers _____________ 10 major aquiclude.__________--_-------_ 52 Salt-water encroachment___________________ 10 Minor aquifers and aquicludes above the Hydrologic effects of urbanization___________ 11 Merchantville and Woodbury clays.____ 54 Interbasin diversions________________________ 11 Englishtown sand_.___________-_---- 54 Economic and legal aspects of water develop­ Marshalltown formation.____________ 54 ment ____________________________________ 12 Wenonah and Mount Laurel sands____ 56 Summary of water law by States_-_._____ 12 Navesink marl. __________________ 56 Deficiencies of data.________________________ 13 Red Bank sand_-_----_-----------_- 58 The water supply.__________________________________ 13 Hornerstown marl____________-_---_ 58 The hydrologic cycle and water budgets___________ 13 Vincentown sand.________-___--__-_ 58 The gross supply precipitation __________________ 15 Manasquan and Shark River marls 60 Causes and forms of precipitation.____________ 15 Piney Point formation ____________ 60 Variations in precipitation___________________ 15 Kirkwood formation an important group Variations in place._____________________ 15 of aquifers and aquicludes_____________ 60 Variations in time.____------__-________ 16 Long-term records___-_------_--____ 16 Cohansey sand an aquifer of great poten­ Coefficient of variation of annual tial ______-__-_-_-------------------- 62 precipitation _____________________ 16 Beacon Hill Gravel a remnant cap__ _____ 63 Monthly precipitation.______________ 19 Quaternary deposits an important group Drought.-----.______________________ 19 of aquifers and a portal for ground-water Hydrometeorology of floods in Delaware recharge and discharge ____________ 64 River basin, by W. W. Swayne and C. S. Bridgeton and Pensauken formations. _ 64 Gilman (U.S. Weather Bureau)________ 19 Unclassified deposits of Pleistocene age- 64 Disposition of precipitation __________________ 21 Cape May and Talbot formations _ 65 Natural water loss evapotranspiration__________ 21 Basin-rim sand--------------------- 65 Evaporation from free water surfaces__ ______ 22 65 Transpiration ______________________________ 25 Glacial outwash and alluvium. _______ Runoff and the water crop.______________________ 25 Marsh and swamp deposits__________ 65 Factors affecting the quantity and distribution Beach and dune sand ________-_-- 66 of the water crop_ ________________________ 31 Chemical character of ground-water Surface storage.________________________ 32 supplies in Quaternary deposits _ 66 Ground-water storage.__________________ 33 Recharge and discharge __________-__--_-- 66 Infiltration capacity___________________ 34 Patterns of movement.._-------------------- 68 Factors affecting the quality of the water crop.. 34 Ground-water storage.______---------------- 69 Impurities derived from the atmosphere. _ _ 34 Use of storage._____-_------------------ 69 Impurities derived from rocks and soils____ 35 Storage fluctuations and aquifer recharge __ 69 Municipal, industrial, and agricultural 69 wastes_ ____________________________ 35 Natural conditions._______-_---_---- Mine drainage__________________________ 36 Conditions under development _______ 70 Sediment-_____________________________ 37 The Appalachian Highlands -_------------------ 70 Salt water in the Delaware estuary______ 38 General features._______-----_-------------- 70 in IV CONTENTS Ground water its availability and character Continued Surface water its variations and character Con. Page The Appalachian Highlands Continued page Runoff from small drainage areas _________________ 138 Occurrence of ground water________-_________ 71 Quality of surface water___-___-_---_____________ 139 Crystalline rocks_______---___^__________ 72 Chemical quality___________________________ 139 Gneiss and related crystalline rocks of Dissolved solids and electrical conductivity. 139 Precambrian age______-_--________ 72 Concentration of dissolved solids and Glenarm series_-_-________--___-___ 73 streamflow. ______----_--_-_,_________ 140 Quartzose rocks of Cambrian age_____ 73 Range of dissolved-solids concentration and Basalt and diabase of Triassic age_ _ _ _ 73 hardness.- _ ______-_-__-___--_____-___ 140 Hydrologic properties of the crystalline Quantities of dissolved materials (loads) ___ 141 rocks._ __________________________ 74 Daily variations in concentrations of dissolved Chemical character of ground water. __ 75 solids__ _ _-_--__----------_----_-_-_ 144 Carbonate rocks_--_-____________________ 76 Seasonal variation in concentration of dis­ Franklin limestone._________________ 76 solved solids ___-_-_------___--_-_--__ 146 Cockeysville marble_________________ 77 Composition of dissolved solids.__________ 146 Carbonate rocks of Cambrian and Daily variation in chemical quality- ______ 149 Ordovician age___________________ 77 Chemical quality of water in the Delaware Carbonate rocks of Silurian and Devo­ estuary._________-___-_-_-_-_____-___ 150 nian age_________________________ 77 Salinity variation in the river cross Hydrologic properties of the carbonate section __________________________ 151 rocks____________________________ 77 Salinity and fresh-water discharge. _ _ _ 151 Chemical character of ground water Seasonal variation in salinity.________ 153 from carbonate rocks.____________ 78 Salinity and sea level________________ 153 Clastic rocks ___________________________ 79 Range in concentration of chemical Rocks of the Valley and Ridge prov­ constituents- _ __---__-_-_-_-______ 154 ince. __-----_-__-_-_______-______ 79 Salinity and the tides_______________ 154 Rocks of the Appalachian Plateaus Salinity and the winds_______--_____- 156 province.________________________ 81 Pollution and chemical quality of Rocks of the Triassic Lowland._______ 83 water ___________________________ 157 Unconsolidated sediments of glacial origin. 87 Physical quality____________________________ 158 Unstratified glacial sediments- _______ 87 Temperature and its variation..._________ 158 Stratified glacial sediments.-_________ 88 Fluvial sediment---.-------------.------ 159 Chemical character of ground water. __ 90 Suspended sediment.________________ 159 Recharge and discharge.___________________ 90 Transport of streambed material---.-. 160 Ground-water storage. ______________________ 91 Use of water.______-_-_________----__-____-_-___-__ 160 Chemical character of ground-water supplies _______ 92 Withdrawal of water in the Delaware River basin, The Coastal Plain__ ________________________ 92 by John C. Kammerer_--_-_-_________________ 160 The Appalachian Highlands._________________ 93 Terminology, units, and sources of information. 163 Salt-water encroachment-____________________ 95 Sources of water.___________________________ 164 Types of supplies-__________________________ 165 Surface water its variations and character____________ 103 Municipal supplies._-_--____-_______---_ 165 Summary of average annual runoff.-____--___-____ 104 Industrial supplies______-__---_--___---_ 165 Areal variations in average annual runoff- _________ 104 Irrigation and rural supplies._________---_ 167 Variability of discharge and runoff-_______________ 112