Vertical Hydraulic Conductivity of Soil and Potentiometric Surface of the Missouri River Alluvial Aquifer at Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas August 1992 and January 1993 By Brian P. Kelly and Dale W. Blevins__________ U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Open-File Report 95-322 Prepared in cooperation with the MID-AMERICA REGIONAL COUNCIL Rolla, Missouri 1995 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Gordon P. Eaton, Director For additional information Copies of this report may be write to: purchased from: U.S. Geological Survey District Chief Earth Science Information Center U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports Section 1400 Independence Road Box 25286, MS 517 Mail Stop 200 Denver Federal Center Rolla, Missouri 65401 Denver, Colorado 80225 II Geohydrologic Characteristics of the Missouri River Alluvial Aquifer at Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas CONTENTS Glossary................................................................................................................~^ V Abstract.................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................^ 1 Study Area................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Purpose and Scope....................................................................................................................................................... 2 Geographic Information System Data Base ................................................................................................................ 2 Land Use.........................................................................._^ 3 Acknowledgments....................................................................................................................................................... 3 Hydrogeologic Setting........................................................................................................................................................... 3 Vertical Hydraulic Conductivity of Soil................................................................................................................................ 4 Potentiometric Surface.......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Methods of Measurement............................................................................................................................................ 5 Measuring-Point Altitude.................................................................................................................................. 5 River-Stage Measurement................................................................................................................................. 5 Ground-Water Movement............................................................................................................................................ 6 Potentiometric Surface August 1992.............................................................................................................. 7 Potentiometric Surface January 1993............................................................................................................. 8 Summary................................................................................................................................................................................ 9 References Cited.................................................................................................................................................................... 10 PLATES [Plates are in box] 1. Location of water level, lithologic, and depth to bedrock data-collection sites for the Missouri River alluvial aquifer at Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas 2. Land use on the Missouri River alluvial valley at Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas 3. Vertical hydraulic conductivity of soils in the Missouri River alluvial valley at Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas 4. Potentiometric surface of the Missouri River alluvial aquifer at Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas August 1992 5. Potentiometric surface of the Missouri River alluvial aquifer at Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas January 1993 FIGURES 1. Map showing location of the study area..................................................................................................................... 2 2. Generalized geologic cross section through the Missouri River alluvium near Liberty, Missouri ........................... 4 3. Graph showing altitude of the Missouri River at the U.S. Geological Survey gaging station at the Hannibal Bridge and precipitation at the Kansas City Municipal Airport, Kansas City, Missouri August 1 to August 22,1992.................................................................................................................... 8 4. Graph showing altitude of the Missouri River at the U.S. Geological Survey gaging station at the Hannibal Bridge and precipitation at the Kansas City Municipal Airport, Kansas City, Missouri January 1 to January 22,1993 .................................................................................................................. 9 Contents TABLES 1. Users and sources of drinking water from the Missouri River alluvial aquifer in the Kansas City metropolitan area ................................................................................................................................................... 15 2. Vertical hydraulic conductivity of soils in the Missouri River alluvial valley at Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas .............................................................................................................................................. 19 CONVERSION FACTORS AND VERTICAL DATUM Multiply By To obtain millimeter 3.937 inch centimeter 0.3937 inch meter 3.2808 foot kilometer 0.6215 mile square kilometer 0.3861 square mile meter per hour 39.3701 inches per hour meter per day 3.2808 foot per day square meter per day 10.7642 square foot per day cubic meter per day 264.2008 million gallons per day Sea level: In this report, "sea level" refers to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD of 1929) a geodetic datum derived from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of both the United States and Canada, formerly called Sea Level Datum of 1929. IV Geohydrologic Characteristics of the Missouri River Alluvial Aquifer at Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas GLOSSARY Alluvium. The detrital deposits resulting from the actions Potentiometric surface. Surface that represents the static of rivers. These deposits are composed of clay-, silt-, head of water in an aquifer; it is defined by the levels sand-, gravel-, cobble-, and boulder-size particles. to which water will rise in tightly cased wells from a Aquifer. A formation, group of formations, or part of a given point in an aquifer. formation that contains sufficient saturated permeable material to yield significant quantities of water to wells Specific yield. The ratio of the volume of water that an or springs. aquifer material will yield by gravity drainage to the Cone of depression. The depression, approximately coni­ volume of aquifer material. cal in shape, produced in a water table or potentiomet- Storage coefficient. The volume of water an aquifer ric surface by pumping. releases from or takes into storage per unit surface area Confined aquifer. An aquifer bounded above by confin­ of the aquifer per unit change in hydraulic head. In an ing units or an aquifer containing confined water. unconfined aquifer, it is essentially equal to the spe­ Confining unit. A body of material with low vertical cific yield. hydraulic conductivity stratigraphically adjacent to one or more aquifers. Synoptic water-level measurement. The measurement Evapotranspiration. Water discharge to the atmosphere of water levels in wells over a broad area in a defined, by evaporation from water surfaces and moist soil and relatively short time. by plant transpiration. Transmissivity. The volume of water per unit of time that Geographic information system (GIS). A computer data is transmitted through a unit width of an aquifer under base that processes geographic data in digital form and a unit hydraulic gradient. Transmissivity is equal to displays data graphically for efficient data management hydraulic conductivity multiplied by the aquifer sat­ and analysis. urated thickness. Ground water. That part of subsurface water that is in the saturated zone. Unconfined aquifer. An aquifer that has a water table; Hydraulic conductivity. Capacity of material to transmit the saturated zone between the water table and the first water under pressure. It is the volume of water per unit underlying confining unit; synonymous with surficial of time passing through a unit section of area under a aquifer. unit hydraulic gradient at the existing kinematic vis­ Zone of contribution. The area surrounding a pumped cosity. well that encompasses all areas or features that supply Hydraulic gradient. The change in hydraulic head per recharge to the well. unit distance of flow in a given direction; synonymous with potentiometric gradient. [Definitions modified