Evaluation of saltwater intrusion and travel time in the Atlantic City 800-foot sand, Cape May County, New Jersey, 1992, by use of a coupled-model approach and flow-path analysis
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Abstract
Regional and subregional ground-water-flow models were coupled, and the output was analyzed by a particle-tracking method. The results were then used to assess the effects of ground-water withdrawals on the flow of saltwater in the Atlantic City 800-foot sand in Cape May County, New Jersey, and to estimate the travel time from areas in which the chloride concentration of the ground water exceeds 250 milligrams per liter to the county's nearest public supply wells.
First, a quasi-three-dimensional finite-difference computer model of freshwater and saltwater flow that simulated regional ground-water flow through the unconsolidated materials underlying the New Jersey Coastal Plain was used to estimate flow at the boundaries of the subregional study area. The results of the regional simulation were used as input to a second quasi-three-dimensional finite-difference model that was used to simulate flow in the subregion, the Atlantic City 800-foot sand in Cape May County.
The results of the simulation of flow in the subregion were analyzed by a semianalytical particle-tracking method to estimate ground-water flow paths and travel time of ground water from areas in which chloride concentrations exceed 250 milligrams per liter to public supply wells located at Stone Harbor, New Jersey. Ground-water withdrawals from the Atlantic City 800-foot sand were assumed to be equal to those reported for 1991. Results of the analysis indicate that the time required for saltwater to reach the public supply wells is on the order of hundreds of years. These results, however, are based on the assumptions that the aquifer is homogeneous. The presence of zones of high permeability in the aquifer could reduce the predicted travel times of the saltwater from its present location to the supply wells. Travel times also could be reduced if ground-water withdrawals increase.
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Evaluation of saltwater intrusion and travel time in the Atlantic City 800-foot sand, Cape May County, New Jersey, 1992, by use of a coupled-model approach and flow-path analysis |
| Series title | Water-Resources Investigations Report |
| Series number | 95-4280 |
| DOI | 10.3133/wri954280 |
| Year Published | 1996 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Description | v, 27 p. |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Cape May County |
| Other Geospatial | Atlantic City 800-food sand |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |