Geohydrology and Water Quality of the Calumet Aquifer, in the Vicinity of the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal, Northwestern Indiana By JOSEPH M. FENELON and LEE R. WATSON Prepared in cooperation with the INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 92-4115 Indianapolis, Indiana 1993 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Robert M. Hirsch, Acting Director Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only, and does not imply endorsement of products by the U.S. Government. For additional information, write to: Copies of this report can be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Earth Science Information Center Water Resources Division Open-File Reports Section 5957 Lakeside Boulevard Box25286, MS 517 Indianapolis, IN 46278-1996 Denver Federal Center Denver, CO 80225 CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................. 1 Introduction .............................................................................. 2 Purpose and Scope ..................................................................... 4 Physical Setting ....................................................................... 4 Geologic Setting ...................................................................... 4 Acknowledgments ..................................................................... 5 Methods of Investigation ................................................................... 5 Ground- and Surface-Water-Level and Rainfall Measurement ................................... 5 Ground-Water Flow Simulation ........................................................... 7 Selection of Water-Quality Sampling Sites .................................................. 7 Well Construction...................................................................... 10 Sampling Procedures ................................................................... 11 Selection of Data from Other Studies ...................................................... 12 Geohydrology of the Calumet Aquifer ......................................................... 15 Recharge ............................................................................ 15 Discharge ............................................................................ 15 Hydraulic Conductivity ................................................................. 16 Ground-Water Flow .................................................................... 18 Configuration of the Water Table .................................................... 18 Spring 1986 ................................................................ 19 Fall 1986 .................................................................. 19 Spring 1989 ................................................................ 19 Ground-Water Gradients and Velocities................................................ 23 Aquifer/Stream Interactions .............................................................. 23 Factors Affecting the Water Level of the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal........... 24 Changes in Ground-Water Gradients Near the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal ...... 25 Simulation of Ground-Water Flow......................................................... 29 Model Boundaries ................................................................ 32 Results of Model Simulations ....................................................... 34 Model Sensitivity................................................................. 37 Model Evaluation and Limitations ................................................... 37 Water Quality in the Calumet Aquifer ......................................................... 39 Effects of Land Use on Ground-Water Quality ............................................... 39 Comparisons of Water-Quality Data ....................................................... 41 Field-Measured Properties and Constituents ........................................... 42 Inorganic Constituents............................................................. 46 Selected Ions and Hardness .................................................... 46 Nutrients................................................................... 51 Selected Metals and Arsenic.................................................... 54 Contents iii CONTENTS Organic Compounds .............................................................. 57 Acid-Extractable and Base/Neutral-Extractable Organic Compounds ................... 57 Volatile Organic Compounds ................................................... 60 Quality Assurance-Quality Control ........................................................ 63 Chemical Loads in Discharge from the Calumet Aquifer ....................................... 64 Chemical Loads to the Grand CalumetRiver ........................................... 65 Chemical Loads to Four Major Ground-Water Sinks ..................................... 67 Summary and Conclusions .................................................................. 69 References Cited .......................................................................... 70 Glossary of Selected Modeling Terms ......................................................... 72 Supplemental Data......................................................................... 73 FIGURES 1. Map showing study area and locations of hazardous-waste sites ........................... 3 2. Map showing water-level network in the study area ..................................... 6 3. Diagramatic section at aquifer/stream study sites showing typical well placement along transect perpendicular to Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal ....................... 8 4-11. Maps showing: 4. Water-quality-well network in the study area .................................... 9 5. Wells selected to represent ground-water quality near known or suspected sites of contamination in the study area ............................................... 13 6. Wells east of the study area selected to represent ground-water quality minimally affected by human activity .......................................... 14 7. Locations of sewers and ditches in the study area ................................. 17 8. Configuration and altitude of the water table in the Calumet aquifer, March 31-April4,1986 ..................................................... 20 9. Configuration and altitude of the water table in the Calumet aquifer, September 22-26,1986 ..................................................... 21 10. Configuration and altitude of the water table in the Calumet aquifer, April 18-20,1989 .......................................................... 22 11. Locations of four transects of observation wells adjacent to the Indiana Harbor Canal and the Grand Calumet River ................................................. 26 12. Hydrographs showing stream levels in and ground-water levels near the Indiana Harbor Canal and the Grand Calumet River compared to Lake Michigan levels and precipitation ....... 27 13. Graphs showing water-level profiles along the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal for a period of high ground-water and low Lake Michigan levels (March 1988) and of low ground-water and high Lake Michigan levels (August 1986)........................... 28 14. Graphs showing water-level profiles along the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal for a period of high ground-water and high Lake Michigan levels (February 1986) and of low ground-water and low Lake Michigan levels (August 1989) ........................... 30 iv Geohydrology and Water Quality of tha Calumat Aquifar, Northwestern Indiana CONTENTS FIGURES 15-18. Maps showing: 15. Finite-difference model grid used to simulate shallow ground-water flow in the study area ................................................................ 31 16. Zones of simulated recharge and their respective ranges of recharge rates used in the finite-difference model ................................................... 33 17. Simulated water-table altitude and configuration for hydrologic conditions of August 1987 .............................................................. 36 18. Major land uses in the study area .............................................. 40 19-25. Box plots showing: 19. Specific conductance among seven data sets ..................................... 44 20. Temperatures in shallow and deep wells in the water-quality network for three time periods .......................................................... 45 21. Hardness among seven data sets .............................................. 50 22. Chloride concentrations among seven data sets ................................... 52 23. Sulfate concentrations among seven data sets .................................... 53 24. Iron concentrations among seven data sets ...................................... 58 25. Benzene concentrations among seven data sets ................................... 62 TABLES 1. Characteristics of observation wells completed in the Calumet aquifer ......................... 74 2. Description of surface-water sites in the study area ........................................ 77 3. Selected field-measured properties and constituents, nutrients, and inorganic constituents for which ground-water samples were analyzed ........................................... 11 4. Acid-extractable and base/neutral-extractable