Hydrogeology of the Buffalo aquifer, Clay and Wilkin Counties, West-Central Minnesota
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- Document: Report (5866 pdf)
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Abstract
The Buffalo aquifer is the principal source of ground-water supplies in the Moorhead, Minnesota area. The aquifer is an elongate deposit of sand and gravel, which locally contains water under confined conditions. Although the Buffalo aquifer contains about 270 billion gallons of water in storage, only 120 billion gallons could be withdrawn. Largest well yields occur along the deep trough in the center of the aquifer. Induced streambed infiltration may be possible in certain areas where the stream overlies the aquifer and where the intervening lake sediments are thin or absent. A numerical model constructed for aquifer evaluation has shown that a considerable amount of ground water is discharged through the confining bed to the stream or leaves the area as underflow to the west. Water from the Buffalo aquifer generally is very hard and of the calcium bicarbonate type. The average discharge of the Buffalo River for the base period 1946-78 ranges from 0.229 cubic foot per second per square mile near Hawley to 0.108 cubic foot per second per square mile at Sabin. Surface water in the Buffalo River drainage system is dominantly a calcium bicarbonate type similar to ground water of the area, especially at low flow in the upper reaches of the tributaries.
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Hydrogeology of the Buffalo aquifer, Clay and Wilkin Counties, West-Central Minnesota |
| Series title | Water-Resources Investigations Report |
| Series number | 81-4 |
| DOI | 10.3133/wri814 |
| Year Published | 1981 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Publisher location | St. Paul, MN |
| Contributing office(s) | Minnesota Water Science Center |
| Description | vi, 83 p. |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Clay County, Wilkin County |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |