Urban land-use study plan for the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

Open-File Report 96-217
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Abstract

This study plan is for Urban Land-Use Studies initiated as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. There are two Urban Land-Use Study objectives: (1) Define the water quality in recharge areas of shallow aquifers underlying areas of new residential and commercial land use in large metropolitan areas, and (2) determine which natural and human factors most strongly affect the occurrence of contaminants in these shallow aquifers. To meet objective 1, each NAWQA Study Unit will install and collect water samples from at least 30 randomly located monitoring wells in a metropolitan area. To meet objective 2, aquifer characteristics and land-use information will be documented. This includes particle-size analysis of each major lithologic unit both in the unsaturated zone and in the aquifer near the water table. The percentage of organic carbon also will be determined for each lithologic unit. Geographic information system coverages will be created that document existing land use around the wells. These data will aid NAWQA personnel in relating natural and human factors to the occurrence of contaminants. Water samples for age dating also will be collected from all monitoring wells, but the samples will be stored until the occurrence of contaminants has been determined. Age-date analysis will be done only on those samples that have no detectable concentrations of anthropogenic contaminants.
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Urban land-use study plan for the National Water-Quality Assessment Program
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 96-217
DOI 10.3133/ofr96217
Edition -
Year Published 1996
Language ENGLISH
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey ; Branch of Information Services [distributor],
Description v, 19 p. :map ;28 cm.
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