STATE OF ARKANSAS ARKANSAS NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION 101 EAST CAPITOL, SUITE 350 LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS 72201 MIKE HUCKABEE GOVERNOR COMMISSIONERS Alec Farmer Corbet Lamkin Ann Cash Commissioner Chairman Commissioner Jonesboro Chidester McGehee David Feilke Sloan Hampton James Neal Anderson Vice Chairman Commissioner Commissioner Stuttgart Stuttgart Lonoke Robert White Jerry Mitchell Daniel Bryant Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Fayetteville Harrison North Little Rock J. Randy Young, P.E. Executive Director Jonathan R. Sweeney, P.E. Deputy Director/Chief Engineer 2 Arkansas Natural Resources Commission Ground Water Management and Protection Section Staff Earl T. Smith, Jr., P.E. Chief, Water Resources Management Division D. Todd Fugitt, R.P.G. Geology Supervisor James L. Battreal, R.P.G. Professional Geologist Jay Johnston, C.P.G. Professional Geologist Derek Taylor Geologist Chris Kelley Ground Water Technician Michael Ritchey Chief Construction Inspector Perry Dotson Water Well Inspector Lynn Richardson Administrative Secretary Shelly Murphey Administrative Secretary 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks to: Tony Schrader, Greg Stanton, Terry Holland, John Czarnecki and John Terry of the United States Geological Survey Water Resources Division, Little Rock, Arkansas. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................................................................ 9 WATER POLICY ............................................................................................................................................................... 15 GROUND-WATER CONSERVATION AND CRITICAL AREAS HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE ALLUVIAL AQUIFER......................................................................................................................... 16 HYDROGEOLOGY SPARTA/MEMPHIS AQUIFER ....................................................................................................................... 20 GROUND-WATER LEVELS AND WATER-LEVEL CHANGE MONITORING ...................................................................................................................................................................... 24 SOUTH ARKANSAS STUDY AREA-SPARTA AQUIFER ................................................................................................................ 27 GRAND PRAIRIE STUDY AREA-SPARTA AND ALLUVIAL AQUIFERS ........................................................................................... 32 CACHE STUDY AREA-SPARTA/MEMPHIS AND ALLUVIAL AQUIFERS ......................................................................................... 41 BOEUF-TENSAS STUDY AREA-SPARTA AND ALLUVIAL AQUIFERS............................................................................................ 49 ST. FRANCIS STUDY AREA-SPARTA/MEMPHIS AND ALLUVIAL AQUIFERS ................................................................................ 56 OTHER AQUIFERS MONITORED ............................................................................................................................................ 63 PRECIPITATION DATA, AND SPRING 2004 TO FALL 2005 WATER LEVEL CHANGES................................................................ 68 WATER QUALITY SPECIFIC CONDUCTANCE / DISSOLVED CHLORIDES............................................................................................................... 73 GROUND WATER QUALITY STANDARDS.................................................................................................................................. 77 NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM ............................................................................................................................................. 80 ARKANSAS WATER WELL CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION PROGRAM WATER WELL CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM ............................................................................................................................... 84 AWWCC ACTIONS/2004-2005 LICENSING YEAR STATISTICS.................................................................................................. 85 GROUND WATER USE REGISTERED WELLS AND REPORTED WATER USE .................................................................................................................... 88 GROUND-WATER MODELING USGS GROUND-WATER MODEL SUMMARY AND SPECIFIC YIELD .............................................................................................. 102 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................................................ 105 REFERENCES................................................................................................................................................................... 107 5 Tables Table # Title Page # 1. Historical Rainfall Data for Arkansas …………………………………………………………………… 71 2. 2004-2005 Precipitation Data Comparison for National Weather Service Divisions……… 72 3. Chloride and Conductivity Data for the Alluvial and Sparta/Memphis Aquifers ………… 74 4. Withdrawal of Ground Water from Arkansas Aquifers in Mgal/day …………………………… 90 6 Figures Figure # Page# 1. Arkansas Ground Water Study Areas, 2005 ............................................................................................. 11 2. Cones of Depression in the Alluvial and Sparta/Memphis Aquifers ............................................................. 12 3. ANRC Critical Ground Water Area Designations........................................................................................ 14 4. 2005 Alluvial Aquifer Potentiometric Surface............................................................................................ 18 5. 2005 Alluvial Aquifer Potentiometric Surface Contour Map ........................................................................ 19 6. 2005 Sparta/Memphis Aquifer Potentiometric Surface .............................................................................. 22 7. Sparta/Memphis Aquifer Potentiometric Surface Contour Map................................................................... 23 8. Alluvial Aquifer 10 Year Water Level Change Map .................................................................................... 25 9. Sparta/Memphis Aquifer 5 Year Water Level Change Map......................................................................... 26 10. Graph of USGS Sparta Recovery Wells .................................................................................................. 28 11. Sparta/Memphis Aquifer Water Level Changes in South Arkansas Study Area, 2005-2006.......................... 30 12. Sparta/Memphis Aquifer Water Level Changes in South Arkansas Study Area, 2001-2006.......................... 31 13. Sparta/Memphis Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Grand Prairie Study Area, 2005-2006........................ 34 14. Sparta/Memphis Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Grand Prairie Study Area, 2001-2006........................ 35 15. Alluvial Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Grand Prairie Study Area, 2005-2006..................................... 38 16. Alluvial Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Grand Prairie Study Area, 2001-2006..................................... 39 17. Alluvial Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Grand Prairie Study Area, 1996-2006..................................... 40 18. Alluvial Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Cache Study Area, 2005-2006............................................... 43 19. Alluvial Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Cache Study Area, 2001-2006............................................... 44 20. Alluvial Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Cache Study Area, 1996-2006............................................... 45 21. Sparta/Memphis Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Cache Study Area, 2005-2006.................................. 47 22. Sparta/Memphis Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Cache Study Area, 2001-2006.................................. 48 23. Alluvial Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Boeuf-Tensas Study Area, 2005-2006 .................................... 50 24. Alluvial Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Boeuf-Tensas Study Area, 2001-2006 .................................... 51 25. Alluvial Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Boeuf-Tensas Study Area, 1996-2006 .................................... 52 26. Sparta/Memphis Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Boeuf-Tensas Study Area, 2005-2006....................... 54 27. Sparta/Memphis Aquifer Water Level Changes in the Boeuf-Tensas Study Area, 2001-2006....................... 55 28. Alluvial Aquifer Water Level Changes in the St. Francis Study Area, 2005-2006......................................... 57 29. Alluvial Aquifer Water Level Changes in the St. Francis Study Area, 2001-2006......................................... 58 30. Alluvial Aquifer Water Level Changes in the St. Francis Study Area, 1996-2006......................................... 59 31. Sparta/Memphis Aquifer Water Level Changes in the St. Francis Study Area, 2005-2006 ........................... 61 32. Sparta/Memphis Aquifer Water Level Changes in the St. Francis Study Area, 2001-2006 ........................... 62 33. Cockfield Aquifer Water Level Change, 2003-2006 ................................................................................. 64 34. Cockfield Aquifer Water Level Change, 2000-2006 ................................................................................. 65 35. Wilcox Aquifer