Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Using Watershed Pour-Point Elevations To Evaluate The Base Of Fresh Groundwater In The Cumberland Plateau Of Eastern Kentucky, Ethan S. L. Davis, Thomas M. Parris, Jerrad Grider

Report of Investigations--KGS

Horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing at shallow depths (less than 2,200 ft) in the Devonian Berea Sandstone oil and gas play, along with the potential for high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the nascent Cambrian Rogersville Shale gas play, have generated a renewed interest in protecting groundwater quality in eastern Kentucky. A critical component of protection is an accurate understanding of the distribution of fresh water in the subsurface. The “Fresh-Saline Water Interface Map of Kentucky” by H.T. Hopkins, published by the U.S. Geological Survey and Kentucky Geological Survey in 1966, has been a critical reference for assessing the maximum depth of …

Mobility Of Escherichia Coli Within Karst Terrains, Kentucky, Usa, Ashley M. Bandy

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Bacterial contamination of karst aquifers is a concern as water quality across the globe deteriorates in the face of decreasing water security. This study examined the transport and attenuation of two non-virulent isolates of Escherichia coli in relation to traditional groundwater tracers such as rhodamine WT dye and latex microspheres in two karst regions in Kentucky. Differential movement between the four tracers was observed in both epikarst and karst aquifer traces, with differences in behavior dependent on flow conditions. Attenuation was greater for the bacterial isolate containing the iha gene, compared to the isolate containing the kps gene. Microspheres of …

Shallow Groundwater Monitoring Associated With The Deep Saline Reservoir Co2 Storage Test In Hancock County, Kentucky, E. Glynn Beck

Report of Investigations--KGS

A carbon dioxide injection test well was drilled in 2009 to a depth of 8,126 ft below ground surface in Hancock County, Kentucky. Six hundred ninety tons of CO₂ was successfully injected into Knox Group saline aquifers. Two domestic wells (MB and GB) and two domestic springs (CA and RC) were sampled to monitor any potential changes in groundwater quality associated with possible migration of CO₂ from deeper saline aquifers into shallow freshwater aquifers. The four sites were sampled for pH, bicarbonate, total dissolved solids, turbidity, anions, total dissolved metals, dissolved inorganic carbon, total CO₂, and …

Hydrogeologic Investigations Of Pavement Subsidence In The Cumberland Gap Tunnel, James S. Dinger, James C. Currens, Junfeng Zhu, Steven E. Webb, Brad W. Rister, R. C. Graves, David L. Allen, Tim C. Scully

Report of Investigations--KGS

Cumberland Gap Tunnel was constructed under Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in 1996 to improve transportation on a segment of U.S. 25E, connecting Kentucky and Tennessee and restoring Cumberland Gap to its historical appearance.

The concrete pavement in the tunnel started to subside in 2001. Ground penetrating radar surveys revealed voids in many areas of the limestone roadbed aggregate beneath the pavement. To investigate possible hydrogeologic processes that may have caused favorable conditions for voids to form in the aggregate, we studied geology, groundwater flow, and groundwater chemistry in the tunnel using a variety of methods, including bore drilling, packer …

Assessment Of Groundwater Quality In An Abandoned Feedlot, Henderson County, Kentucky: Data Report, E. Glynn Beck, James S. Dinger, John Grove, Eugenia Pena-Yewtukhiw

Information Circular--KGS

A three-phase project investigated the influence of past and present agricultural practices on groundwater resources in the Western Kentucky Coal Field. Phase II concentrated on past practices, specifically those associated with an abandoned dairy feedlot and an old homestead. Results of phase II analyses are presented in this report.

Assessment Of Groundwater Quality In A Remediated Abandoned Feedlot, Henderson County, Kentucky: Data Report, E. Glynn Beck, James S. Dinger, John Grove, Eugenia Pena-Yewtukhiw

Information Circular--KGS

A three-phase project investigated the influence of past and present agricultural practices on groundwater resources in the Western Kentucky Coal Field. Phase III concentrated on an abandoned dairy feedlot that had been remediated. Results of phase III analyses are presented in this report.

Sources And Occurrences Of Nonpoint-Source Chemicals In Groundwater, Jackson Purchase Region, Kentucky, R. Stephen Fisher, E. Glynn Beck

Report of Investigations--KGS

Nitrate concentrations that exceed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water standards have been reported in Jackson Purchase Region groundwater since the 1960's. More recently, other nonpoint-source chemicals such as pesticides and volatile organic compounds have also been found. The sources of these chemicals and the pathways by which they reach domestic groundwater supplies must be determined to protect human health and to design effective land-management practices.

To investigate the occurrence of nonpoint-source chemicals in Jackson Purchase groundwater, 60 wells were selected on the basis of geographic location, hydrostratigraphic unit penetrated, and well type (bored or drilled); distances to row crops, known …

Groundwater Quality In Watersheds Of The Big Sandy River, Little Sandy River, And Tygarts Creek (Kentucky Basin Management Unit 5), R. Stephen Fisher, Bart Davidson, Peter T. Goodmann

Report of Investigations--KGS

The Kentucky Geological Survey and the Kentucky Division of Water are evaluating groundwater quality throughout the commonwealth to determine regional conditions, assess impacts of nonpoint-source contaminants, provide a baseline for tracking changes, and provide essential information for environmental-protection and resource-management decisions. These evaluations include summarizing existing regional groundwater-quality data and reporting the results of expanded, focused groundwater collection programs in specific areas. This report summarizes groundwater sampling and analysis in Kentucky basin management unit 5 (watersheds of the Big Sandy River, Little Sandy River, and Tygarts Creek in eastern Kentucky).

Thirty wells and springs were sampled quarterly between the fall …

Groundwater Quality In Watersheds Of The Kentucky River, Salt River, Licking River, Big Sandy River, Little Sandy River, And Tygarts Creek (Kentucky Basin Management Units 1, 2, And 5), R. Stephen Fisher, Bart Davidson, Peter T. Goodmann

Report of Investigations--KGS

The Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky, and the Kentucky Division of Water (of the Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet) are evaluating groundwater quality throughout the commonwealth to determine regional conditions, assess impacts of nonpoint-source pollutants, establish a basis for detecting changes, and provide essential information for environmental-protection and resource-management decisions.

These evaluations are being conducted in stages. Under the Kentucky Watershed management Framework, Kentucky’s 12 major river basins and tributaries of the Ohio River were grouped into five basin management units (BMU’s). A previous report summarized and evaluated groundwater quality in BMU 3 (watersheds of the Upper Cumberland …

Changes In Groundwater Quality In A Conduit-Flow-Dominated Karst Aquifer As A Result Of Best Management Practices, James C. Currens

Report of Investigations--KGS

Water quality in the Pleasant Grove Spring karst groundwater basin was monitored to determine the effectiveness of best management practices (BMP’s) implemented through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Water Quality Incentive Program (WQIP). The project was divided into three phases. Phase I, beginning in August 1990, was the initial reconnaissance of the hydrogeology and water quality of the basin. Phase II, beginning in October 1993, monitored the water quality for 1 year prior to BMP implementation. This phase was followed by a 1-year interim extension, which continued the monitoring. Phase III monitored the water quality during and following BMP implementation. …

Mass Flux Of Agricultural Nonpoint-Source Pollutants In A Conduit-Flow-Dominated Karst Aquifer, Logan County, Kentucky, James C. Currens

Report of Investigations--KGS

Changes in water quality in a karst ground-water basin used intensively for agriculture are being measured before, during, and after the implementation of best management practices (BMP’s) and other management practices, to determine the success of such programs in protecting ground water. The study was divided into three phases. The results of the first two phases are included in this report and cover research conducted between August 1990 and October 1994. During phase I of the study the overall ground-water quality of the basin and its hydrogeology were investigated. Phase II began monitoring the water quality at Pleasant Grove Spring …

Groundwater Study: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Usa Georgetown, Kentucky, Gary Felton, Lyle V. A. Sendlein, Teri Dowdy, Daryl Hines

KWRRI Research Reports

An eighteen month study of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing (TMM) plant site and the surrounding area was undertaken. The basic charge for this project was to characterize the groundwater that is potentially impacted by the TMM plant site. This included occurrence, flow direction, and, if possible, velocity. Because the area is karstified (has sinkholes, springs, caves, etc.) surface water and groundwater are intimately connected and, hence, surface water was frequently an important component of this work.

Data from TMM construction plans and monitoring work done subsequent to construction were elicited from the various repositories within the TMM infrastructure. Aerial color …

Kinetics And Mechanisms Of Atrazine Adsorption And Desorption In Soils Under No-Till And Conventional Management, V. P. Evangelou, W. W. Witt, E. Portig, Mike Barrett

KWRRI Research Reports

Both soils (Maury silt loam and Sadler) exhibited three apparent mechanisms of atrazine adsorption. The first two mechanisms were very rapid (10 minutes) and were assigned to soil-clay surface adsorption reactions via hydrogen bonding. The quantity of atrazine involved in these two reactions for the 0.5 mg/1 solution atrazine varied, depending on the soil, from 67 μg/100 g clay to 219 μg/100 g clay. The reason there were two possible atrazine sinks in this range of atrazine adsorption was believed to be the presence of two types of reactive surfaces, the clay inorganic phase and the organic carbon phase. The …

Analysis Of Unsteady Flow Toward Artesian Wells By Three-Dimensional Finite Elements, Yang H. Huang, Shen-Jyh Wu

KWRRI Research Reports

A three-dimensional finite element computer program was developed for analyzing unsteady flow toward artesian wells. The program is designed especially for determining the drawdown around an artesian well penetrating fully or partially a nonhomogeneous and anisotropic aquifer of irregular shape and cross section. It can also be used as a general program for aquifer simulation and evaluation. A major advantage of the program lies in the minimum amount of input data required. By assuming the top and bottom boundaries of the aquifer as two arbitrary planes, the aquifer will be divided into six- or eight-node elements, and their nodal coordinates …

Unsteady Flow Toward Partially Penetrating Artesian Wells, Y. H. Huang

KWRRI Research Reports

A numerical method programmed for a high-speed computer was developed for determining the drawdown around an artesian well. A salient feature of the program is that it can be used for both fully and partially penetrating wells in either infinite or finite aquifers. The method Involves the application of finite difference equations to the well-known heat equation using a graded network. A comparison of the finite difference solutions with those obtained from the close-form formulas of Muskat, Theis, and Hantush indicates the validity of the method. A comparison between the finite difference solutions and the drawdowns measured on a sand …

Solution Geochemistry Of The Water Of Limestone Terrains, John Thrailkill, David B. Beiter, Michael T. Osolnik, Roger H. Postley, William T. Mitchell, Leonard N. Plummer, James R. Riddell, Richard C. Worley, Robert D. Zwicker

KWRRI Research Reports

Limestone groundwater flows mainly in openings it has solutionally enlarged, thus an understanding of the water's state of saturation relative to calcite (the principal mineral component of limestone) is fundamental to an understanding of the nature and evolution of the limestone aquifer. This study investigated the Mammoth Cave-Sinkhole Plain (MCSP) and Cave Hollow (CH) aquifers in Kentucky, both in Missippian limestones.

Both aquifers were always undersaturated with calcite. Except for completely ventilated vadose flows (usually) and some vadose seepage (occasionally), all recharges sampled (sinking streams, vadose flows, and vadose seepage) were also undersaturated. The lack of saturation in the MCSP …