Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Geologic Characterization, Hydrologic Monitoring, And Soil-Water Relationships For Landslides In Kentucky, Matthew M. Crawford, L. Sebastian Bryson, Zhenming Wang, Edward W. Woolery

Report of Investigations--KGS

Complex spatial and temporal variables control the movement of water through colluvial soils in hillslopes. Some of the factors that influence soil-moisture fluctuation are soil type, thickness, porosity and permeability, and slope morphology. Landslide-characterization and field-monitoring techniques were part of a method to connect hydrologic and geotechnical data in order to monitor long-term hydrologic conditions in three active landslides in Kentucky, establish hydrologic relationships across the slope, and analyze specific soil-water relationships that can predict shear strength. Volumetric water content, water potential, and electrical conductivity were measured between October 2015 and February 2019. The duration and magnitude of drying and …

Characteristics Of Cover-Collapse Sinkholes In Kentucky, James C. Currens

Report of Investigations--KGS

Sudden collapse of unconsolidated earth materials over soluble bedrock, known as cover collapse, damages buildings, roads, utility lines, and farm equipment in Kentucky. It has also killed livestock, including Thoroughbred horses, and injured people. The estimated annual cost of sinkhole cover collapse in Kentucky ranges from $20 million to $84 million and is sensitive to rare but expensive events such as the 2014 National Corvette Museum collapse. The Kentucky Geological Survey began developing a catalog of case histories of cover-collapse occurrences in 1997, and receives an average of 24 reports each year. Three hundred fifty-four occurrences of cover-collapse sinkholes throughout …

Assessing Intra-Event Phosphorus Dynamics In Drainage Water Using Phosphate Stable Oxygen Isotopes, William Ford Iii, Mark R. Williams, Megan B. Young, Kevin W. King, Eric Fischer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Quantifying fluxes and pathways of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in tile-drained landscapes has been hampered by a lack of measurements that are sensitive to P fate and transport processes. One potential tool to help understand these dynamics is the oxygen isotope signature of phosphate (δ¹⁸O_PO4); however, its potential benefits and limitations are not well understood for intra-event dynamics at the field scale. The objectives of this study were to quantify intra-event variability of δ¹⁸O_PO4 signatures in tile drainage water and assess the efficacy of δ¹⁸O_PO4 to elucidate mechanisms and flow …

Quality Of Water From Tile Drains In Fields Treated With Poultry Litter In Mclean County, Kentucky, E. Glynn Beck, Lisa Y. Blue, David A. Atwood

Information Circular--KGS

Poultry litter (a mixture of feed, manure, and bedding material) is commonly used as a soil amendment to row-crop fields in western Kentucky. Because of feed additives, litter typically has elevated concentrations of contaminants, including metals and anions. These metals and anions can accumulate in the soil and therefore could be transported to surface water through drainage tiles. In order to assess water quality in tile drains, a pilot study was conducted in 2008 in McLean County, Kentucky, in which 10 tile drains and six drainage ditches were sampled for total metals and anions. Seven of the tile-drained fields were …

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 …

Kentucky Geological Survey Procedures For Groundwater Tracing Using Fluorescent Dyes, James C. Currens

Information Circular--KGS

Karst terrain often develops from an ancestral landscape of surface-flowing streams, which leaves behind a relict pattern of the surface watershed divides. If caves only developed in ancestral watersheds, then groundwater tracing, for the purpose of groundwater basin mapping, would be unnecessary. But lithologic, structural, and hydrologic factors conspire to ensure that some caves extend headward faster than their neighbors and encroach upon adjacent groundwater basins to pirate drainage under the original surface divides. In many areas, groundwater basin boundaries have been significantly reorganized, to the point that there is little relationship to the ancestral surface watershed boundaries.

Soil- And Groundwater-Quality Data For An Abandoned Cattle And Hog Feedlot In Henderson County, Kentucky, E. Glynn Beck, James S. Dinger, Eugenia Pena-Yewtukhiw, John H. Grove

Information Circular--KGS

Groundwater samples collected from a livestock well in southwestern Henderson County, Ky., contained nitrate-N concentrations greater than 20 mg/L, two times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum contaminant level. The well is located in an abandoned cattle and hog feedlot. The feedlot is located in an upland bedrock setting with Pleistocene loess overlying Pennsylvanian bedrock. One hundred twenty-one soil cores were collected to better define the areal extent of organic-rich soil believed to be the source of the elevated nitrate-N in the groundwater. Cores were collected on 25-ft centers to a depth of 4 ft below the land surface. Soil …

Assessment Of Row Crop, Alfalfa, And Pasture Field Practices On Groundwater Quality In An Upland Bedrock Setting, Henderson County, Kentucky: Report Of Soil- And Water-Quality Data, E. Glynn Beck, James S. Dinger, John H. Grove, Eugenia Pena-Yewtukhiw

Information Circular--KGS

An assessment of how present agricultural practices have influenced shallow groundwater and soil quality was conducted on a 540-acre farm in north-central Henderson County. Groundwater- and soil-quality data were collected from row crop (corn and soybean), alfalfa, and pasture fields. In addition to the field settings, groundwater and soil data were collected from the existing farmyard and an abandoned feedlot. Groundwater samples were analyzed for pH, specific conductance, temperature, oxidation-reduction potential, metals, anions, nutrients, herbicides, and various isotopes. Soil samples were analyzed for pH, bioavailable phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, organic matter, total nitrogen, and inorganic nitrogen (nitrate-N). Soil- and …

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.

Sources And Occurrences Of Nonpoint-Source Chemicals In Groundwater, Jackson Purchase Region, Kentucky: Data Report, E. Glynn Beck

Information Circular--KGS

Groundwater from the Jackson Purchase Region was sampled to investigate possible contamination by nonpoint-source chemicals. Conclusions drawn from the resulting data and methodology can be found in “Sources and Occurrences of Nonpoint-Source Chemicals in Groundwater, Jackson Purchase Region, Kentucky,” Kentucky Geological Survey Report of Investigations 22 (series 12), by R.S. Fisher and E.G. Beck.

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 …

Regional Groundwater Quality In Watersheds Of The Upper Cumberland, Lower Cumberland, And Lower Tennessee Rivers, And The Jackson Purchase Region (Kentucky Basin Management Unit 3), 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. This report summarizes expanded groundwater monitoring activities and groundwater quality in watersheds of the Upper Cumberland River, Lower Cumberland River, Tennessee River, and the Jackson Purchase Region (Kentucky Basin Management Unit 3).

Thirty wells and springs were sampled seasonally between the summer of 2000 and the spring of 2001, and analyzed at the Kentucky Division of Environmental Services Laboratory. …

Water-Quality And -Quantity Data For Abandoned Underground Coal Mines In Eastern Kentucky, Steven E. Webb, Dennis H. Cumbie, James S. Dinger, Leslie K. Russo

Information Circular--KGS

Water-quality and -quantity analyses were performed between 1997 and 2003 by the Kentucky Geological Survey under contract from the Kentucky River Authority and the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority to study abandoned underground coal mines as possible water supplies for communities in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. The steep terrain of the coal field limits surface-water supplies, and groundwater systems are difficult to locate and often have too low a yield to provide community water supplies. KGS has been working with the Kentucky River Authority, the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority, and local government officials to search for water supplies in abandoned underground coal …

Assessing Water-Supply Potential Of Abandoned Underground Coal Mines In Eastern Kentucky, James S. Dinger, Dennis H. Cumbie, Bart Davidson

Report of Investigations--KGS

Use of water in abandoned underground coal mines for municipal, industrial, agricultural, or domestic water supplies is dependent upon the water quantity and quality. For either of these factors, the requirements of the user will play a role in what water quantity or quality is acceptable. This report provides analysis of field-derived water-quality and -quantity characteristics for six abandoned underground coal mines in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. In addition, some ancillary data from State regulatory agencies were used to help characterize water quality coming from the mines.

This study demonstrates that water quality in abandoned deep mines can be …

Chemical Analysis Of Fish Tissue: Kentucky Army National Guard Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Training Site, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, Steven E. Webb, James S. Dinger, Dennis H. Cumbie

Information Circular--KGS

Thirty-one analytes were measured in fish tissue taken from largemouth bass, catfish, and bluegill harvested from lakes and ponds in reclaimed and unreclaimed coal-mine spoil of Pennsylvanian age. The spoil area is approximately 7,756 acres created primarily from surface mining, and has been used in increasing intensity since 1969 as a training site by the Kentucky Army National Guard. Four fish were harvested for analysis from the area of unreclaimed spoil that resulted from mining prior to 1977, and 15 fish were harvested for analysis from the part of the training facility that was reclaimed by 1985. Twenty-six analytes had …

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. …

Statistical Procedures For Evaluating Daily And Monthly Hydrologic Model Predictions, Marilyn E. Coffey, Stephen R. Workman, Joseph L. Taraba, Alex W. Fogle

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The overall study objective was to evaluate the applicability of different qualitative and quantitative methods for comparing daily and monthly SWAT computer model hydrologic streamflow predictions to observed data, and to recommend statistical methods for use in future model evaluations. Statistical methods were tested using daily streamflows and monthly equivalent runoff depths. The statistical techniques included linear regression, Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency, nonparametric tests, t-test, objective functions, autocorrelation, and cross-correlation. None of the methods specifically applied to the non-normal distribution and dependence between data points for the daily predicted and observed data. Of the tested methods, median objective functions, sign test, autocorrelation, …

The Development Of Relationships Between Constituent Concentrations And Generic Hydrological Variables, Carmen T. Agouridis, Dwayne R. Edwards

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The collection and analysis of samples from storm events constitutes a large portion of the effort associated with water quality research. Estimating concentrations or loads from these events is often difficult. The equipment necessary to analyze the samples and the required laboratory resources are typically significant expenses incurred by the researcher. One potential method to reduce these costs is through the development of generic relationships between concentrations and easily measured variables such as dimensionless flow rate or time. The benefits recognized from such an effort include a reduction in the number of required samples, resulting in a reduction in cost. …

Hydrogeologic Conditions Around Deep Aeration Lagoons At The Bardstown Wastewater Treatment Plant, David R. Wunsch, Gregory L. Secrist, Lyle V.A. Sendlein

Report of Investigations--KGS

The hydrogeologic conditions around the Bardstown Sewage Treatment Plant were studied from August 1996 through December 1997. Hydraulic and geochemical data were collected from eight monitoring wells and four surface-water monitoring sites on the plant property.

There is a large hydraulic gradient between the lagoons at the plant and the surrounding stream, Town Creek. Initial water-level measurements in wells surrounding the site suggest no major leakage from the lagoons, however. Neither flowing artesian conditions nor unusually high water levels were observed in any of the wells. Water-level measurements collected by data loggers showed that shallow wells responded quickly to recharge, …

Effects Of Longwall Mining On Hydrology, Leslie County, Kentucky Part 2: During-Mining Conditions, Shelley Minns Hutcheson, James A. Kipp, James S. Dinger, Lyle V.A. Sendlein, Daniel I. Carey, Gregory L. Secrist

Report of Investigations--KGS

The effects of longwall coal mining on hydrology in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field are being investigated. The study area is in the Edd Fork watershed in southern Leslie County, over Shamrock Coal Company's Beech Fork Mine. Longwall panels approximately 700 ft wide are separated by three-entry gateways that are approximately 200 ft wide. The mine is operated in the Fire Clay (Hazard No. 4) coal; overburden thickness ranges from 300 to 800 ft. Mining began in panel 1 in September 1991 and concluded with panel 8 in September 1994. Long-term monitoring consisting of a network of piezometers and time-domain …

Effects Of Longwall Mining On Hydrogeology, Leslie County, Kentucky Part 3: Post-Mining Conditions, Shelley Minns Hutcheson, James A. Kipp, James S. Dinger, Daniel I. Carey, Lyle V.A. Sendlein, Gregory L. Secrist

Report of Investigations--KGS

The effects of longwall coal mining on hydrology in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field have been investigated since 1991. The study area is in the Edd Fork watershed in southern Leslie County, over Shamrock Coal Company's Beech Fork Mine. Longwall panels approximately 700 ft wide are separated by three-entry gateways that are approximately 200 ft wide. The mine is operated in the Fire Clay (Hazard No. 4) coal; overburden thickness ranges from 300 to 800 ft. Mining began in panel 1 in September 1991 and concluded with panel 8 in September 1994. Long-term monitoring consisting of a network of piezometers …

The Effect Of Turfgrass Maintenance On Surface-Water Quality In A Suburban Watershed, Inner Blue Grass, Kentucky, R. Michael Williams, James S. Dinger, Andrew J. Powell, Dwayne R. Edwards

Report of Investigations--KGS

Nutrients and pesticides applied during routine maintenance or establishment of turfgrass could result in nonpoint-source pollution. Nutrient and pesticide concentrations in water exiting a turfgrass management area in the Sinking Creek watershed, a suburban watershed in the Inner Blue Grass Region of central Kentucky, were monitored. This watershed was selected because it contains multiple land uses: agricultural, residential, and recreational (golf course).

A survey was conducted to determine the extent to which lawn-care products are used in the residential sector of the watershed. For the golf-course portion, the golf-course superintendent recorded chemical application daily.

Runoff from the golf course was …

Effect Of Parameter Distributions On Uncertainty Analysis Of Hydrologic Models, C. Thomas Haan, Daniel E. Storm, T. Al-Issa, Sandeep Prabhu, George J. Sabbagh, Dwayne R. Edwards

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Increasing concern about the accuracy of hydrologic and water quality models has prompted interest in procedures for evaluating the uncertainty associated with these models. If a Monte Carlo simulation is used in an uncertainty analysis, assumptions must be made relative to the probability distributions to assign to the model input parameters. Some have indicated that since these parameters can not be readily determined, uncertainty analysis is of limited value. In this article we have evaluated the impact of parameter distribution assumptions on estimates of model output uncertainty. We conclude that good estimates of the means and variances of the input …

Impact Of Topographic And Data Resolution On Hydrologic And Nonpoint-Source Pollution Modeling In A Karst Terrane, Alex W. Fogle

Report of Investigations--KGS

To prevent or reduce the contamination of ground water from agricultural sources, Best Management Practices (BMP’s) such as land-use changes, modifications to control surface runoff, various tillage methods, variations in rates and kinds of chemical applications, and handling procedures for chemicals are being employed and analyzed for effectiveness. The effectiveness of a BMP is often estimated before implementation by evaluating the BMP through the use of computer simulation models. The interactions between surface water and ground water that are unique to karst terranes are not incorporated into the frequently used predictive models. The purpose of this study was to document …

Spatial And Temporal Variability In Seepage Between A Contaminated Aquifer And Tributaries To The Ohio River, Alan E. Fryar, David L. Brown, David B. Wenner, Todd C. Rasmussen, Eric J. Wallin

KWRRI Research Reports

Because interactions between ground water and tributaries may influence contaminant loading to rivers, we delineated seepage along Little Bayou and Bayou Creeks in McCracken County, Kentucky, during a two-year period. From the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, on the divide between the creeks, trichloroethene and technetium-99 plumes extend several km toward the Ohio River. Gaining conditions occur where the creeks are incised into coarse sediments in the river's flood plain. Such conditions were marked by upward hydraulic gradients within the bed; maximum specific discharge (q) > 0.24 m d^-1; relatively narrow ranges of stream, piezometer, and bed temperatures; relatively cool …

Hydrogeology And Ground-Water Monitoring Of Coal-Ash Disposal Sites In A Karst Terrane Near Burnside, South-Central Kentucky, Shelley Minns Hutcheson, Lyle V. A. Sendlein, James S. Dinger, James C. Currens, Arsin M. Sahba

Report of Investigations--KGS

The effects of two coal-ash disposal facilities on ground-water quality at the John Sherman Cooper Power Plant, located in a karst region of south-central Kentucky, were evaluated using dye traces in springs. Springs were used for monitoring rather than wells, because in a karst terrane wells are unlikely to intercept individual conduits.

A closed-out ash pond located over a conduit-flow system discharges to three springs in the upper Salem and Warsaw Formations along Lake Cumberland. Water discharging from these downgradient springs is similar to springs unaffected by ash-disposal facilities and is a calcium-bicarbonate type. No constituent concentrations found in this …

Fresh-Water Aquifer In The Knox Group (Cambrian–Ordovician) Of Central Kentucky, James A. Kipp

Report of Investigations--KGS

Fresh water can be found in Cambrian and Ordovician carbonate rocks of the Knox Group in central Kentucky. The top of the aquifer is as much as 300 ft above mean sea level (m.s.l.) on the crest of the Cincinnati Arch, but descends off the flanks of the arch. Water is normally found in the upper 100 to 250 ft of the Knox, primarily in secondary porosity apparently associated with the unconformity at the top of the unit. Knox wells commonly exceed 750 ft in total depth, but because the aquifer is artesian, water rises to an elevation of about …