Water-Supply and Irrigation Paper No. 155 Series 0, Underground Waters, 52 PEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHARLES D. WALCOTT, DIRECTOR FLUCTUATIONS OF THE WATER LEVEL IN WELLS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK BY A.. O. WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1906 CONTENTS. Page. Introduction and summary.....................-....------.-.-.---.-.-...- 7 PART I. Long Island observations ._..._.._.............-....-------------. 9 Introductory outline of hydrologic conditions.......................... 9 Observations of the United States Geological Survey.................... 10 Observations with direct-reading gages............................. 10 At Huntington, N. Y......................................... 10 AtOysterBay, N. Y.......................... .-- -.--.. -- 13 Observations with self-recording gages............................. 17 Instruments used............................................. 17 At Queens County Water Company pumping station near Hew­ lett, N. Y.................................................. 18 At Long Beach, ^. ^f.................^....................... 19 Near Millburn, N. Y.......................................... 22 AtLynbrook, N. Y............................................ 23 At Douglaston, N. Y.......................................... 25 Observations of the New York City commission on additional water supp1 y. 27 PART II. General discussion of the fluctuations of water in wells............. 28 Classification of causes ................................................ 28 Fluctuations produced by natural causes............................... 29 Rainfall and evaporation.......................................... 29 Regular annual fluctuations ................................... 29 General character and cause.................... .......... 29 Effect of depth of soil above the zone of complete saturat'on on time of occurrence of yearly maximum and minimum.. 34 Irregular secular fluctuations.............-.--...--.........--. 37 Amount of annual and secular fluctuation..................... 38 Fluctuations due to single showers............................. 42 By transmitted pressure without any increase in the ground water.................................................. 42 By the actual addition of water to the ground water through percolation ............................................ 44 Percentage of rainfall contributed to the ground water.......... 44 Methods of estimation .................................... 44 By lysimeters........................................ 44 By stream discharge.................................. 49 By changes in level of ground-water table.............. 50 References relating to well fluctuations due to rainfall........... 51 Fluctuations due to barometric changes............................ 52 Character and cause .......................................... 52 References relating to well fluctuations due to barometric changes. 53 Fluctuations due to temperature changes........................... 54 Observations at Madison, Wis.; fluctuations varying directly with the temperature............................................ 54 3 4 CONTENTS. Page. PART II. General discussion of the fluctuations of water in wells Cont'd. Fluctuations produced by natural causes Continued. Fluctuations due to temperature changes Continued. Observations at Lynbrook, N. Y.; fluctuations inversely related to the temperature............................................ 57 Observations at Sherlock, Kans................................ 59 Diurnal fluctuations of Cache la Poudre River, Colorado ........ 59 References relating to fluctuations produced by temperature changes i.................................................. 59 Fluctuations produced by rivers................................... 59 By change in rate of ground-water discharge ................... 60 By irregular infiltration from rivers with normally impervious beds....................................................... 61 By plastic deformation. -......-............-.--...-...-.-...-. 62 References relating to fluctuations produced by rivers........... 62 Fluctuations produced by changes in lake levels.................... 63 Fluctuations produced by changes in the ocean level tidal wells.... 63 By changes in rate of outflow of ground water.................. 64 By plastic deformation---...-...-. ............................ 65 References relating to tidal fluctuations in wells ........------.. 67 Possibility of tides in the ground water produced by direct solar and lunar attraction ................................................ 69 Fluctuations due to geologic causes ................................ 69 Fluctuations produced by human agencies.............................. 70 Effect of settlement, deforestation, and cultivation.........---..-... 70 Effect of irrigation................................................ 72 Effect of dams.................................................... 72 Effect of underground water-supply developments.................. 72 Subsurface dams........-.-.---.---....-.....-................ 72 Infiltration galleries ................................ ......... 72 Pumping ..................................................... 73 Artesian-well developments................................... 74 Effect of large cities on the ground-water level.;.................... 74 Loaded freight trains ......--.-.......-..........-......----...--. 75 Fluctuations due to indeterminate causes............................... 75 Small fluctuations................................................ 75 Fluctuations at Millburn, N. Y.................................... 76 Fluctuations at Urisino Station, New South Wales.................. 76 Index ................................................................... 77 ILLUSTRATIONS. PLATE I. Sketch map of western Long Island, New York, showir? localities discussed ..................................................... 9 II. Map of a portion of southern Long Island, New York, showing loca­ tion of Hewlett, Long Beach, Millburn, and Lynbrook wells..... 16 III. Partial record of fluctuations of water level in a 181-foot well near Hewlett, N. Y................................................ 18 IV. Partial record of fluctuations in a 386-foot well at Long Beach, N. Y. 20 ILLUSTRATIONS. 0 Page. PLATE V. Partial record of fluctuations of water level in a 289-foot well n^ar Millburn,N. Y............................................... 22 VI. Partial record of fluctuations of water level in wells at Lynbrcok, N.Y......................................................... 24 VII. Sketch map showing location and topographic surroundings of wells of the Citizens' Water Supply Company near Douglaston, N. Y... 26 VIII. Partial record of fluctuations of water level in wells near Douglaston, N. Y......................................................... 28 IX. Fluctuations of water level in wells near Wiener Neustadt, Austria. 32 FIG. 1. Diagrammatic cross section of Long Island, showing principal to-x>- graphic and geologic factors influencing the underground water con­ ditions .......................................................... 9 2. Sketch map showing location of well of Huntington Light and Pover Company at Huntington Harbor, N. Y........................... 11 3. Detail of well and tide curves at Huntington Harbor, N. Y., show­ ing lag between well and tide.................................... 12 4. Sketch map showing location of wells observed at Oyster Bay, JST. Y.. 13 5. Sketch map showing topographic surroundings of wells shown in fig. 4 and location of sections shown in figs. 6 and 7 .................. 14 6. Section at Oyster Bay, N. Y., along line B-B, fig. 5, showing geologic relations of wells observed ...................................... 14 7. Section at Oyster Bay, N. Y., along line A-A, fig. 5, showing geologic , relation of the artesian wells at Oyster Bay and on Center Island .. 15 8. Well and tide curves at Oyster Bay, N. Y........................... 17 9. Yearly rainfall and water-level curves in shallow wells in middle Europe .......-....--....-.-...:...-.............-........---.. 29 10. Yearly rainfall and water-level curves in shallow wells in the United States.......................................................... 30 11. Mean annual ground-water curve at Bryn Mawr, Pa., and rainfall rnd temperature curves at Philadelphia, Pa ..----.........-....-.-... 31 12. Results of English percolation experiments ..........--.----.---.-.- 32 13. Fluctuations of water level in wells on Long Island, N. Y., from obser­ vations of New York City commission on additional water supply.. 36 14. Residual-mass curves of rainfall for Long Island, N. Y., Newark, N. J., and Philadelphia, Pa............................................ 37 15. Annual and secular changes of the ground-water level and fluctuations due to single showers in a shallow well at Millburn, N. Y .....--_. 39 16. Fluctuations of water level in a well at Madison, Wis., showing non- transmission of diurnal fluctuations produced by changes in capil­ lary attraction. ................................................. 57 17. Diagram showing production of fluctuations of ground-water level by temperature changes affecting rate of flow ------------------------ 58 FLUCTUATIONS OF THE WATER LEVEL IN WELLS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO LONG ISLAND. NEW YORK. By A. C. VBATCH. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY. In connection with the investigation of the geology of Long Island by the United States Geological Survey