Water Resources of the Hartford-New Britain Area, Connecticut By R. V. CUSHMAN, D. TANSKI, and M. P. THOMAS WATER RESOURCES OF INDUSTRIAL AREAS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 1499-H 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.G. 20492 CONTENTS Pago Abstract . _______._____._______________ Hi Introduction ___________________________________________ 2 Description of the area________________________________________ 3 Importance of the area_______________________________________ 5 Sources and significance of water_______-_-_-_____-_____-_-_-_---___- 5 Significance of water quality------------------------------------ 6 Pollution__________________________________. 9 Water resources of the area. _______________________ _ ______ _ ____ 12 Records available________________ _ _______________ _ ________ 12 Connecticut River_____________________________________________ 16 Scantic River___-__-___________-____--_-_-_______-_____-__-__- 23 Farmington River__________________.______-________-_-_-____-- 33 Burlington Brook .._______ ____________________________________ 41 Park River________________________________ 43 Hockanum River____________________________________________ 52 Ground water in sand-and^ravel aquifers__-___________--_------- 59 Fluvial sand of the Connecticut River lowland ________________ 59 Delta of glacial Farmington River_________________________ 61 Glaciofluvial deposits of Connecticut River lowland-_-___-__--_ 62 Glaciofluvial deposits in South Branch Park River basin _-___- 63 Buried deposits in bedrock channels_______________________ 64 Chemical quality-___________________ ____-_______---_---- 65 Ground water in sedimentary bedrock________________--__-_--- 66 Yield of wells_______.____________--___-----_-.__-_------ 67 Chemical quality___________________________-__-_-__---_-_- 69 Other sources of small ground-water supplies.______________---_--- 71 Crystalline bedrock_____________________________________-__ 71 Glacial till..___________________.__________ 74 Chemical quality._________________________________------ 74 Public water supplies__________________________________-------_ 75 Use of water____________________________________________________ 78 Emergency water supplies______________________-___--_-____---- -. 83 Possibility of further development--------------------_--------__--- 85 Selected references----.___________________----______ ___ 93 Index.___________________________________________________________ 95 m rv CONTENTS ILLUSTKATIONS [All plates are In pocket] PLATE 1-2. Maps of Hartford-New Britain area showing: 1. Areas inundated by the flood of March 20, 1936, on the Connecticut River. 2. Areal distribution of water-bearing deposits, bed­ rock surface, locations of wells, and geologic sections. Page FIGURE 1. Map showing area included in the Hartford-New Britain area.. __ _____ __ .___ H4 2. Graph showing duration of records at gaging stations__ 13 3-4. Duration curves, Connecticut River: 3. Daily flow___________. ___ _ ___ 18 4. Weeklyflow_______________________ 19 6-7. Graphs showing: 5. Magnitude and frequency of annual low flovs, Con­ necticut River____________-_--_------------_ 20 6. Maximum period of deficient discharge, Connecticut River__________________________ 20 7. Magnitude and frequency of floods, Connecticut River.._....____..._..___._._-.--._...... 21 8. Profiles of floods of 1936, 1938, and 1955, Connecticut River___._________.____...____ 22 9-11. Graphs showing: 9. Daily concentration of iron and hardness as CaCOs, Connecticut River___________________________ 24 10. Relation of dissolved solids to discharge, Con­ necticut River__________________________ 25 11. Temperature of Connecticut River ______________ 25 12. Cumulative frequency curve of temperature, Connecticut River_____________________________ 26 13. Duration curve of daily flow, Scantic River.___________ 27 14-19. Graphs showing: 14. Magnitude and frequency of annual lov flows, Scantic River__________________.____________ 27 15. Maximum period of deficient discharge, Scantic River___________________________ 28 16. Storage required to maintain flows,"Scantic River. 28 17. Magnitude and frequency of floods, Scantic River. 29 18. Relation of suspended-sediment load to discharge, Scantic River______________________---______ 32 19. Monthly sediment load, Scantic River.__________ 33 20. Duration curve of daily flow, Farmington River. _______ 35 21-24. Graphs showing: 21. Magnitude and frequency of annual IOT' flows, Farmington River___________________________ 36 22. Maximum period of deficient discharge, Farmington River_______________._________ 36 23. Storage required to maintain flows, Farmington River__________________________ 37 24. Magnitude and frequency of floods, Farmington River________________________ 38 CONTENTS V FIGURE 25. Graph showing specific conductance,daily mean discharge, Page and daily concentration of iron, Parmington River.___ H39 26. Cumulative frequency curve of temperatures, Parmington River_____________________________ 40 27. Duration curve of daily flow, Burlington Brook __ _____ 42 28-31. Graphs showing: 28. Magnitude and frequency of annual low flows, Burlington Brook--------_--____________ 43 29. Maximum period of deficient discharge, Burlington Brook._________________________ 43 30. Storage required to maintain flows, Burlington Brook_______________________._ 44 31. Magnitude and frequency of floods, Burlington Brook__________________________ 44 32. Duration curve of daily flow, Park River__. ______-- 45 33-35. Graphs showing: 33. Magnitude and frequency of annual low flows, Park River.______________________ 46 34. Maximum period of deficient discharge, Park River________________________ 46 35. Storage required to maintain flows, Park RSver__ 47 36. Duration curve of daily flow, North Branch Park River. 48 37-39. Graphs showing: 37. Magnitude and frequency of annual low flows, North Branch Park River____________- 49 38. Maximum period of deficient discharge, North Branch Park River__________________---_---_ 50 39. Storage required to maintain flows, North Brapch Park River____________________ 51 40. Duration curve of daily flow, South Branch Park River. _ 52 41-43. Graphs showing: 41. Magnitude and frequency of annual low flows, South Branch Park River..________- 53 42. Maximum period of deficient discharge, South Branch Park River_________________- 53 43. Storage required to maintain flows, South Branch Park River___________________ 54 44-46. Graphs showing magnitude and frequency of floods: 44. Park River____________.____..__... 54 45. North Branch Park River____.___________------ 55 46. South Branch Park River..._________...- 55 47. Duration curve of daily flow, Hockanum River._.-___.- 56 48-51. Graphs showing: 48. Magnitude and frequency of annual low flows, Hockanum River_______________ ._.-_ 57 49. Maximum period of deficient discharge, Hockanum River________________________ 57 50. Storage required to maintain flows, Honkanum River__ r ______________________ 58 51. Magnitude and frequency of floods, Hookanum River__________________________ 58 52. Cumulative frequency curves of yield of wells in sedi­ mentary bedrock.__.____________.___.___-- 68 VI CONTENTS Page FIGURE 53. Flow chart of water-supply system of Metropolitan District...__________________________ H76 54. Graph showing use distribution in percent of total use of water of the Metropolitan District for 1957._________ 77 55. Flow chart of water-supply system, New Britain._______ 78 56-57. Graphs showing: 56. Use of water in the Hartford-New Britair area, 1957.._________________._.____ 80 57. Average annual use and per capita use of water supplied by the Metropolitan District, 1947-57. 82 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Suggested water-quality tolerances.___-___-_-_--___-__ H7 2. Suggested water-quality tolerance for boiler-feed vater. _ 8 3. Classification of surface waters according to suitability of use.__________________________________________ 10 4. Summary of streamflow data, Hartford-New Britain area..___________________________________________ 14 5. Usable storage in Connecticut River basin above Middle- town____________________________________________ 16 6. Summary of chemical analyses, Connecticut River at Thompsonville, October 1955 to September 19">6____ 23 7. Chemical analyses of periodic water samples, Scantic River at Broad Brook___________ _____ 30 8. Duration table of daily sediment load, Scantic River at Broad Brook, 1953-58_________________ 31 9. Summary of chemical analyses, Farmington River at Rainbow, October 1957 to September 1958______ 38 10. Chemical analyses of periodic water samples, Park River at Hartford, Hockanum River at Shenipsit Lake, and Hockanum River near East Hartford.___________ 51 11. Partial chemical analyses by the Connecticut State Department of Health of water from wells in the Hart­ ford-New Britain area and vicinity._________________ 70 12. Chemical analyses of water from wells in the Hartford- New Britain area and vicinity_______________.____ 72 13. Public water supplies in the Hartford-New Britain area for the year ending December 31, 1957._____________ 79 14. Analysis of finished water, Water Bureau of the Metro­ politan District.__________________________________ 80 15. Analysis of finished water, New Britain Water E apart­ ment _ ___________________________________________ 80