The hydrogeologic framework and a reconnaissance of ground-water quality in the Piedmont Province of North Carolina, with a design for future study
Water-Resources Investigations Report
88-4130
By: Douglas Harned
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Abstract
The U.S. Geological Survey is investigating the relation of ground- water quality and land use in the regolith and fractured rock ground-water system of the North Carolina Piedmont. The initial phase of this study provides a description of the ground-water flow system and a review of available ground-water data and formulates hypotheses that guide the design of a water-quality monitoring network for study of selected areas.
In the Piedmont, the solid igneous and metamorphic bedrock grades upward into unweathered fractured rock that is covered by a transition zone of highly-fractured, partially weathered rock, clay-rich saprolite, and the soil. The fractured bedrock, transition zone, saprolite, and soil make up a complex flow system.
A review of available ground-water quality data shows a lack of information about organic compounds and trace metals and changes in ground- water quality with depth. Land use, soils, and geology significantly influence ground-water quality.
The hypotheses that need to be tested in the next study phase are: (1) that ground-water contamination can be related to land use, and (2) that the transition zone between bedrock and regolith serves as a primary transmitter of contaminants.
Monitoring of basins containing industrial, urban, residential, and agricultural land uses in future studies will help define the relation of ground-water quality to land use. Water quality at different depths in the flow system and in streams during base flow needs to be identified.
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | The hydrogeologic framework and a reconnaissance of ground-water quality in the Piedmont Province of North Carolina, with a design for future study |
| Series title | Water-Resources Investigations Report |
| Series number | 88-4130 |
| DOI | 10.3133/wri884130 |
| Edition | - |
| Year Published | 1989 |
| Language | ENGLISH |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey, |
| Contributing office(s) | South Atlantic Water Science Center |
| Description | vi, 55 p. :ill., maps ;28 cm. |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Carolina |
| Other Geospatial | Piedmont Province |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |