By Kevin J. Breen and Denise H. Dumouchelle Water-Resources Investigations Report 91-4024
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GEOHYDROLOGY AND QUALITY OF WATER IN AQUIFERS IN LUCAS, SANDUSKY, AND WOOD COUNTIES, NORTHWESTERN OHIO By Kevin J. Breen and Denise H. Dumouchelle U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 91-4024 Prepared in cooperation with LUCAS COUNTY, SANDUSKY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, WOOD COUNTY, AND THE CITIES OF MAUMEE, OREGON, SYLVANIA, AND TOLEDO, OHIO Columbus, Ohio 1991 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MANUEL LUJAN, JR., Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director For additional information Copies of this report can write to: be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Division Books and Open-File Reports U.S. Geological Survey Section 975 W. Third Avenue Box 25425 Columbus, OH 43212-3192 Denver Federal Center Denver, CO 80225 11 TAKE" United States Department of the Interior AMERICA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water Resources Division 975 W. Third Avenue Columbus, OH 43212 Telephone: (614) 469-5553 November 10,1992 MEMORANDUM TO: Librarian FROM: Supervisory Scientific Illustrator, WRD, Columbus, OH SUBJECT: ADDENDUM«"Geohydrology and Quality of Water in Aquifers in Lucas, Sandusky, and Wood Counties, Northwestern Ohio," by Kevin J. Breen and Denise H. Dumouchelle (WRIR 91-4024) The following errors are noted for the above-mentioned report: 1. On figure 48, the first line of the note at the top of the figure should read: "Results for well S-231-RL36 are not shown." 2. On figure 10, the shade patterns for sand and glacial till are reversed in the explanation. Richard P. Ffehs RPFAdc cc: Denise H. Dumouchelle, Hydrologist, USGS-WRD, Columbus, OH Kevin J. Breen, Supervisory Hydrologist, USGS-WRD, Lemoyne, PA #212 CONTENTS Page Glossary xi Abstract 1 Introduction- 3 Purpose and scope 4 Acknowledgments - - - - - 4 Description of study area 5 Topography and drainage 5 Land use and climate 5 Population and water use 7 Methods of study 7 Data-collection networks - 7 Site-identification system 7 Water-level sites 10 Water-quality sites 12 Field methods for water quality 17 Quality assurance and quality control 19 Statistical analysis 19 Geologic setting 20 Structural features 20 Bedrock stratigraphy - 20 Western flank of the Findlay arch 23 Eastern flank of the Findlay arch 24 Unconsolidated deposits 25 Geohydrology 26 Unconsolidated deposits 26 Bedrock 30 Regional geohydrologic conditions 38 Recharge areas 38 Discharge areas 44 Local geohydrologic conditions 46 Eastern Sandusky County 46 Western Sandusky County 49 Southern Wood County 55 Northern Wood County and southern Lucas County 58 Northern Lucas County 60 Quality of water in aquifers 67 Surficial sand aquifer in Lucas County 67 Carbonate aquifer 73 General water characteristics 73 Quality of water for drinking and other domestic uses 81 Bacteria 82 Fluor ide 85 Nitrate 85 Barium, lead, and zinc 87 Arsenic, chromium, and mercury 88 Radionuclides and radiochemicals 88 Volatile-organic compounds 95 Hardness 97 111 CONTENTS Continued Page Hydrogen sulfide 98 x IT on ~*~*~*~ *~*~~*~*~*~ "*~"""~*~*~ *~*~ " "*i~ - «. «-. «-. «. «. M?O Suitability of water for irrigation 101 Factors affecting water quality 105 Geochemical controls on major-ion chemistry 105 Oilfield and gasfield brines 110 Shallow-bedrock areas 115 Dissolved-organic carbon 115 Phosphorus and nitrogen 117 Local hydrochemical conditions 120 Eastern Sandusky County 122 Western Sandusky County 123 Southern Wood County 124 Northern Wood County and southern Lucas Northern Lucas County 127 ournma ry j. 2 9 References cited 132 Supplemental data 143 Appendix: Quality assurance and quality control for water- ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in pocket] Plate 1. Map showing network of data-collection sites and lines-of-section A-A' and B-B 1 2-6. Maps showing altitude and configuration of the potentiometric surface in the carbonate aquifer and selected hydro- geologic conditions in: 2. Eastern Sandusky County, Ohio 3. Western Sandusky County, Ohio 4. Southern Wood County, Ohio 5. Northern Wood County and southern Lucas County, Ohio 6. Northern Lucas County, Ohio 7-11. Selected water-quality and hydrochemical conditions for the carbonate aquifer in 7. Eastern Sandusky County, Ohio 8. Western Sandusky County, Ohio 9. Southern Wood County, Ohio 10. Northern Wood County and southern Lucas County, Ohio 11. Northern Lucas County, Ohio IV Illustrations Continued Page Figure 1. Map showing location, selected drainage features, and largest city in each county of the study area 6 2. Map showing location of villages with water supplies from the carbonate aquifer 8 3. Map showing generalized geology of the study area 21 4. Map showing extent of surficial sand deposits in Lucas County, Ohio 27 5. Geologic section A-A' 28 6. Water levels in the surficial sand aquifer at well LU-303-SW20 and daily precipitation at Toledo Express Airport, 1987 water year 29 7. Map showing the thickness of drift in the study area 31 8. Preglacial and postglacial conceptualization of the carbonate aquifer 33 9. Photograph showing discharge of ground water from a bedding-plane joint in carbonate rocks in a quarry near Silica, Lucas County, Ohio 35 10. Hydrogeologic section B-B' 36 11. Effect of atmospheric-pressure fluctuations on water levels in wells LU-1, LU-110-T, and WO-200-MO24 39 12. Dot plots of the distribution of tritium concen tration in water from the carbonate aquifer 41 13. Tritium concentration in water from the carbon ate aquifer as a function of drift thickness 42 14. Map showing generalized areas where carbonate aquifer has recent recharge (waters are com monly classified as post-1952, on the basis of tritium concentration) - 43 15. Map showing discharge areas, ground-water divides, and generalized ground-water-flow directions indicated by potentiometric-surface mapping of the carbonate aquifer 45 16. Map showing mapping areas selected to illustrate local hydrogeologic and hydrochemical conditions in the study area 47 17. Hydrograph for the carbonate aquifer at well S-3, southeast of Fremont, Ohio - 50 18. Ground-water levels in selected wells near Bellevue, Sandusky County, Ohio, 1986-88 51 19. Water levels for selected wells and precipita tion for selected gages in the western Sandusky County, Ohio, area, 1986-87 water years 54 ILLUSTRATIONS Continued Page 20. Water levels at well LU-3-W39 and Maumee River stage at Waterville, Ohio, June-July, j.iaQc____________ y o o ___ _ _ __ __ __ ____ oc^ i. 21. Hydrographs at wells LU-1 and LU-110-T and pre cipitation for selected periods of record 62 22. Water-level changes in selected wells in the Northwood, Ohio, area, 1983-87 63 23. Water levels at wells LU-1 and WO-121-N and pre cipitation at Toledo Express airport, -LTQQ/1QT__ i7 O'i O / Q^C. A 24. Water levels in the surficial sand aquifer at well LU-303-SW20 during the sample collection period, June 1-10, 1987 68 25. Trilinear diagram of percentages of cation and anion milliequivalents for water in the sur ficial sand aquifer, two land-use areas, Lucas County, Ohio 71 26. Dot-plot and box-plot summaries of distributions of concentrations for selected water-quality constituents from the carbonate aquifer, including plots for each of four geologic 11UIl-LLo »i i 4-o ____ _ ______ _ _ _ _ £.\jtf\"J I 27. Trilinear diagram of percentages of cation and anion milliequivalents for waters in the car bonate aquifer 79 28. Histogram of percentages of detections for fecal coliform and fecal streptococci related to decade of well completion, carbonate aquifer (wells of uncertain age are grouped with those from 19bO~59) o*± 29. Map showing distribution of dissolved-fluoride concentrations in water from the carbonate aquifer 86 30. Box plots of arsenic, chromium, and mercury con centrations in water from the carbonate ctquiter~ x-»i i -i -P *-* v _ _QQ oy 31. Map showing distribution of alpha- and beta- particle radioactivity in water from the carbonate aquifer 91 32. Relation between alpha-particle radioactivity and uranium concentrations in water from the carbonate aquifer 94 33. Relation between beta-particle radioactivity and potassium concentration in water from the carbonate aquifer 96 34. Map showing areas where concentrations of hydro gen sulfide are greater than 0.5 milligrams per liter and are independent of depth in the carbonate aquifer 99 VI ILLUSTRATIONS Continued Page 35. Map showing distribution of iron concentration in water from the carbonate aquifer 100 36. Classification of water in the carbonate aquifer for irrigation 103 37. Relation between sodium and boron concentrations in water from the carbonate aquifer 104 38. Saturation indices for calcite, dolomite, and gypsum in waters of the carbonate aquifer 107 39. Relation between strontium and sulfate concen trations in waters from the carbonate aquifer 108 40. Saturation indices for celestite and strontia- nite in waters from the carbonate aquifer 109 41. Activities of calcium ion and fluoride ion in waters from the carbonate aquifer showing fluorite and fluorapatite stability relations 111 42. Bromide-to-chloride ratios as a function of chloride concentrations in waters from the carbonate aquifer 113 43. Photograph of the Cygnet area, Wood County, Ohio (about 1890), showing historic land-use activities 114 44. Relation of dissolved organic carbon concen trations to the thickness of drift above the carbonate aquifer 116 45. Map showing elevated dissolved organic carbon concentrations in Lucas, Sandusky, and Wood Counties, Ohio 118 46. Relations of phosphorus concentrations to the thickness of drift above the carbonate aquifer: A. Orthophosphorus 119 B. Dissolved total phosphorus 119 47. Relation of concentrations of nitrogen compounds in ground water to the thickness of drift above the carbonate aquifer: A. Nitrate plus nitrite 121 B. Ammonia - 121 C. Organic nitrogen 121 48. Comparision of gross alpha-particle radioactiv ity in ground water as measured in split sam ples at two laboratories 233 Vll OOCfV *HJ (MICHIGAN I _ _ 1 !i!^.