Hydrogeology and Groundwater Qualityof the

UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm and Vicinity

Jacob A. MachollGeorge J. Kraft

July 2010

Objectives

• Process geologic data• borehole geophysical data

• Evaluate spatial and temporal trends in:• Hydrogeology

• water-table configuration• hydraulic gradients

• Groundwater quality• nitrate, chloride, pesticide residues

WISCONSIN

NorthernMississippi

ValleyLoess Hills

Military Ridge

£¤151

College Farm Road

PLATTEVILLE BELMONT

Center Drive Road

Upper Fever River Watershed

UW-Platteville Pioneer Farm

EXPLANATION

0 1 2 MILES

0 2 41 KM

")X

¹

TOTO

USGS Gauging Station

Study Area

NMVLH (MLRA 105)

• 22,209 mi² - 1/5th of WI

• Unglaciated

• Well drained loess soils

• Predominantly agricultural

Upper Fever River Watershed

• 3,357 ac.

• Representative of NMVLH

• Location of UWP Pioneer Farm

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

! !

1050

1050

1100

LF-466

LF-472 LF-463

LF-464LF-465

LF-462

LF-467

LF-471

LF-470

LF-469

LF-468

LF-461

UpperFever RiverWatershed

STUDYAREA

College Farm Road

B

B'

C'

C

AA'

1000

0 250 500 YARDS

0 200 400 METERS

EXPLANATION! Borehole (piezometer nest)

Surface contour; 10 ft interval

Line of transectA A'

Pioneer Farm bui

Instrumentation

• 12 boreholes at the Pioneer Farm• Range from 42 to 254 ft below land surface

Instrumentation

soileluvium

LowerGalena

St. Peter

BOREHOLECASING

Glenwood

SpechtsFerry

GalenaUpper

Decorah

Platteville

784

834

884

934

984

1034

ELEV

ATI

ON

,IN

FEET

AB

OVE

MEA

NSE

ALE

VEL

0 1000

SPONTANEOUSPOTENTIAL

(MILLIVOLTS)0 4000

FORMATIONRESITIVITY

(OHM-M)0 200

GAMMA(COUNTS PER

SECOND)6 14

CALIPER(INCHES)

250

200

150

100

50

0

DEP

TH,I

NFE

ETB

ELO

WLA

ND

SUR

FAC

E

PIEZOMETERCOMPLETION &STRATIGRAPHY

1 2

Borehole LF-465

8-INCH 64-I

• Nested piezometers (monitoring wells)

• Sample discrete interval - 5 to 10 ft

• Quality

• Hydraulic head

• 2 to 4 per borehole

• 37 total (2 usually dry)

• FLUTe

• Borehole LF-472

• 8 port device

• 2 to 5 ft sample interval

• ~180 ft west of LF-465

soil

UpperGalena

LowerGalena

BOREHOLECASING

Decorah

892

902

912

922

932

942

952

962

972

982

992

1002

1012

1022

1032

ELEV

ATI

ON

,IN

FEET

AB

OVE

MEA

NSE

ALE

VEL

0 1000

SPONTANEOUSPOTENTIAL

(MILLIVOLTS)0 800

SINGLE-POINTRESISTANCE

(OHMS)0 150

GAMMA(COUNTS PER

SECOND)6 18

CALIPER(INCHES)

140

130

120

110

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

DEP

TH,I

NFE

ETB

ELO

WLA

ND

SUR

FAC

E

FLUTeCOMPLETION &STRATIGRAPHY

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Borehole LF-4

LF-472

LF-465

soil

UpperGalena

LowerGalena

BOREHOLECASING

0 150

GAMMA(COUNTS PER

SECOND)6 8

CALIPER(INCHES)

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

DEP

TH,I

NFE

ETB

ELO

WLA

ND

SUR

FAC

E

PIEZOMETERCOMPLETION &STRATIGRAPHY

1 2 3 4

Borehole LF-466

990

1000

1010

1020

1030

1040

1050

1060

1070

ELEV

ATI

ON

,IN

FEET

AB

OVE

MEA

NSE

ALE

VE

LF-466

Geology• Geophysical logs

• Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey

• Interpret subsurface geology, structure

• Completed prior to piezometer installation

• Assisted placement

soileluvium

LowerGalena

St. Peter

BOREHOLECASING

Glenwood

SpechtsFerry

GalenaUpper

Decorah

Platteville

784

834

884

934

984

1034

ELEV

ATI

ON

,IN

FEET

AB

OVE

MEA

NSE

ALE

VEL

0 1000

SPONTANEOUSPOTENTIAL

(MILLIVOLTS)0 4000

FORMATIONRESITIVITY

(OHM-M)0 200

GAMMA(COUNTS PER

SECOND)6 14

CALIPER(INCHES)

250

200

150

100

50

0

DEP

TH,I

NFE

ETB

ELO

WLA

ND

SUR

FAC

E

PIEZOMETERCOMPLETION &STRATIGRAPHY

1 2

Borehole LF-465

8-INCH 64-I

Borehole LF-465“Deep well”

• ~300 ft of Ordovician dolomites and limestones - Sinnipee Group

• Overlies 1200+ ft of older sandstones and carbonates

• Separated by Glenwood shale• aquitard

Geology

GeologyFence Diagram – Transect Locations

A

A’

BC

B’C’

Pioneer Farm

A

A’

BC

B’C’

GeologyFence Diagram

Lower Galena dolomite

Decorah Formation

Spechts Ferry member (shale)

Platteville Formation

Glenwood shale

St. Peter Sandstone

EXPLANATIONsoil

Interbedded shale

Upper Galena dolomiteOgu

Ogl

Od

Ods

Op

Ogs

Osp

weatheredbedrock

OspOgsOp

Ods

OglOgu

GeologyCross-section B-B’

• Dissolution zone approximated from caliper, flow and optical logs

#Water-table

soil

Ogl

Od

Osp

Ogu

Ods

Op

Ogs

B B'

weathered

VERTICAL EXAGGERATION X 5

1110 FT

780 FT

AB

OV

EM

EA

NS

EA

LE

VE

L

Upper FeverRiver

(WEST) (EAST)LF-464

LF-472

LF-465

LF-469 LF-468

LF-461

LF-466

#

approx. lower extentof dissolution zone

Hydrogeology

• Water-table

• Measured piezometer hydraulic head during sample collection

• Head varies:

• seasonally, annually

• with location

Jan-2010Jan-2009Jan-2008Jan-2007

1050

1040

1030

1020

1010

WAT

ER-T

ABLE

ELE

VATI

ON

, FEE

T AM

SL

LF-461-3LF-462-4LF-463-2LF-464-4LF-466-4LF-467-4LF-468-4LF-470-3LF-471-3

PIEZOMETER

Solid symbols: uplands

Hollow symbols: lowlands and intermediate areas

HydrogeologyWater-table: Average Configuration

1025

1000

1030

1005

1040

1020

1025

10301010

1015 1035

1050

1050

1100

0 100 200

YARDS

Upper FeverRiver

GroundwaterDivide

EXPLANATION

Monitoring well

Water-table contour

Surface contour

Building

Groundwater flowdirection

Heads from June 2009

Hydrogeology

• Vertical Gradients

• Indicate direction of groundwater flow (up, down, horizontal)

• In the Sinnipee aquifer, gradients were:

• downward beneath uplands,

• upward near the Fever River,

• generally horizontal in-between

• Largest was 1.4 downward – across Glenwood shale

• Spechts Ferry shale and(or) Platteville Fm may play a role

• Groundwater flow is described with equipotential lines

HydrogeologyEquipotential Lines

920

102510201030

1015

1035

Transect B-B'

1110 FT

780 FT

AB

OV

EM

EA

NS

EA

LE

VE

LUpper FeverRiver

LF-464

LF-472

LF-465

LF-469 LF-468

LF-461

LF-466

VERTICAL EXAGGERATION X 5

surface

Water-table: May 2007

Potentiometric surface, St. Peter-Priaire du Chien-Jordan:May 2007

PiezometerEquipotential line

Gro

undw

ater

Div

ide

Groundwater flowpath

Groundwater Quality

• Groundwater Samples

• 733 samples from October 2006 to January 2010

• Primary constituents

• Nitrate-N

• Chloride

• Conductivity

• pH

• Some samples of Pesticide residues, D.O., Metals, TKN, etc.

Major agricultural pollutants

Groundwater Quality

• Average = 10.9 mg/L

• range <0.1 to 76.3 mg/L

• MCL = 10 mg/L

• 20 of 35 piezometers (57%) had median exceeding MCL

• 26 (74%) had at least one above MCL

• Few significant temporal trends (year or season)

• more data required to conclude if specific trends exist

• Spatial distribution remained relatively constant

Nitrate-N

Groundwater QualityNitrate-N: Map view

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

! ! 15

5

10

15

15

20

30

20

25

45

40

35

1050

1050

LF-464

LF-469

LF-471

LF-461

LF-463

LF-468

LF-465

LF-467

LF-472

LF-462

LF-470

LF-466Upper FeverRiver

1100

¹0 500 1,000250

FEET

EXPLANATION

Building

Contour line (ft AMSL); Interval 10 ft

! BoreholeTransectAA'

A A' B'

C'

C

B

Nitrate-N isoline and concentration (

Groundwater QualityNitrate-N: Cross-section

!!!!

!!!!

!

!!

LF-4

61

LF

-462

LF-4

67

!!!!

!!!!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!!

!!

!

!!

!!

!!

LF-4

68

LF-4

66LF

-46

1

LF-4

64

LF-4

65

LF-4

72

LF-4

69

!

!!

!(

!!

!(

!

!

!

!!

!!

LF-4

66

LF-4

71

L F-4

70

LF-4

63

EXPLANATION

!( Not sampled! Piezometer

DISTANCE ALONG TRANSECT (FEET)

ELEVATION(FEETABOVE

MEANSEALEVEL)

A-A'

B-B'

C-C'

surface

surface

surface#

#

#

Water-tableJune 2009

#

0.1

0 1000 2000 3000 4000

90

01

00

011

00

10

00

110

09

00

80

01

00

011

00

10 2030 40

10

10

0.1

2030

40

10

101515

20

2025

30

Nitrate-N isolineand concentration (mg/L

DissolutionZone

Groundwater QualityChloride

• Average = 19.4 mg/L

• range <0.1 to 84 mg/L

• Significantly correlated to Nitrate-N

• Spatial distribution similar to Nitrate-N

Groundwater QualityChloride: Map view

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

! !

LF-461

LF-468

1050

1050

LF-471

LF-462

LF-472

10

20

7060

30

40

50

20

LF-470

LF-466

LF-465

LF-464

LF-463

LF-467

LF-469

Upper FeverRiver

1100

¹0 500 1,000250

FEET

EXPLANATIONChloride isoline and concentration (mg/L)

Building

Contour line (ft AMSL); Interval 10 ft

! BoreholeTransectAA'

A A' B'

Groundwater QualityChloride: Cross-section

!!!!

!!!!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!!

!!

!

!!

!!

!!

LF-4

68

LF-4

66LF

-46

1

LF-4

64

LF-4

65

LF-4

72

LF-4

69

!!!!

!!!!

!

!!

LF-4

61

LF

-462

LF-4

67

!

!!

!(

!!

!(

!

!

!

!!

!!

LF-4

66

LF-4

71

LF-4

70

LF-4

63

EXPLANATION

!( Not sampled! Piezometer

Chloride isolineand concentration (mg/L)

DISTANCE ALONG TRANSECT (FEET)

ELEVATION(FEETABOVE

MEANSEALEVEL)

A-A'

B-B'

C-C'

surface

surface

surface#

#

#

Water-tableJune 2009

#

10 20

20

30

4050

6070

0.5

10 20 30 40 50

60 70

30

20

0 1000 2000 3000 4000

90

01

00

011

00

10

00

110

09

00

80

01

00

011

00

3020

20

3030

Groundwater QualityPesticide Residues

• Detected residues:

• Alachlor ESA

• Metolachlor ESA

• Acetochlor OA

• Metolachlor OA

• Atrazine and its degradate deethyl-atrazine

• ESA degradates account for 90% of cumulative concentration

• Metolachlor ESA: up to 10.5 µg/L

• Alachlor ESA: up to 4.7 µg/L

• Spatial distribution similar to other pollutants

Most frequently detected

Groundwater QualityPesticide Residues: Cross-section

!!!!

!(!(!(!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!

!

!

!

!!

!!

!

!!

!(!(

!(!(

LF-4

68

LF-4

66LF

-46

1

LF-4

64

LF-4

65

LF-4

72

LF-4

69

ELEVATION(FEETABOVE

MEANSEALEVEL)

B-B'

surface #

10

00

110

09

00

80

01

6

2

3 45

578

!(!(!(!(

!!!!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!!

!!

!(

!(

!(

!(!(

!(!(

LF-4

68

L F-4

66LF

-46

1

LF-4

64

LF-4

65

LF-4

72

LF-4

69

DISTANCE ALONG TRANSECT (FEET)0 1000 2000 3000 4000

10

00

110

09

00

80

0

surface#

12

34

56 7 8

1014

12

B-B' July 2007

December 2006

EXPLANATION

!( Not sampled! Piezometer Water-table

June 2009

#Summed pesticide residue isolineand concentration (µg/L)

Conclusions

• Dissolution zone is likely the major conduit for transport of groundwater and pollutants

• Degree of bedrock weathering important • Borings show Sinnipee grades from:

• soil• weathered bedrock• dissolution zone (near water-table)• competent bedrock

• Groundwater flows primarily from topographic highs down-gradient to Fever River.

• Groundwater basin similar to surface watershed

• BUT varies with changes in water-table elevation

Hydrogeology

Permeability decreases with depth

Conclusions

• High Nitrate-N common in groundwater

• Majority of piezometers (74%) contain nitrate-N above 10 mg/L MCL

• Chloride also elevated, up to 84 mg/L

• Pesticide residues detected during winter and summer

• Primarily ESA degradates of Alachlor and Metolachlor

• Higher concentrations detected in summer

• Pollutants greater in upgradient part of farm and in shallower part of aquifer

• Pollutants have not fully penetrated aquifer

• Yearly and seasonal trends not evident in groundwater Nitrate-N and Cl

• Suggests near steady state conditions during the study period

Groundwater Quality

What Next?• Continue groundwater quality sampling

• To identify trends

• Nitrate-N, Cl, pH, Conductivity: monthly

• Other constituents: at least annually

• Collect additional samples from deeper FLUTe ports

• LF-472-6, -7, and -8

!!!!

!(!(!(!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!

!

!

!

!!

!!

!

!!

!(!(

!(!(

LF-4

68

LF-4

66LF

-46

1

LF-4

64

LF-4

65

LF-4

72

LF-4

69

surface #

10

00

110

09

00

80

0

!!

!

GalenaDecorah

Platteville

St. Peter

Fill this gap

What Next?

• Continue groundwater quality sampling

• To identify trends

• Collect additional samples from deeper FLUTe ports

• LF-472-6, -7, and -8

• Construct groundwater flow model

• Gain more insight into groundwater flow system

• Characterize hydraulic conductivity, important model parameter

• Slug tests

• Process new water level, temperature, conductivity data

• Groundwater response to events

Acknowledgments

• WGNHS• Ken Bradbury• Dave Hart• Roger Peters• Dan Hallau

• UWP Pioneer Farm Staff

Generalized Stratigraphy

Dolomite, limestone, and shale, green and brown; bentonite near base

70-330Siltstone and sandstone

Sandstone 440-780

700-1050

Sandstone, siltstone and dolomite

Sandstone and siltstone, glauconitic 110-140

120-150

Sandstone 60-140

Sandstone, quartz, coarse, rounded 40 +

0-240

280-320Dolomite, light-buff, cherty; sandy near base and in upper part;

shaly in upper part

Dolomite, yellowish-buff, thin-bedded, shaly

Dolomite, yellowish-buff, thick-bedded

Dolomite, drab to buff, cherty

35-40

55-75Limestone and dolomite, brown and grayish;

green, sandy shale at base

Franconia sandstone

Dresbach sandstone

Eau Claire sandstone

Mount Simonsandstone

90

110

108-240

80

105

225Galena dolomite

Decorah formation

Platteville formation

St. Peter sandstone

Prairie du Chiengroup

Trempealeauformation

Group orFormation

DescriptionAverage thickness

(feet)

Edgewood dolomite

Maquoketa shale

200

Dolomite, buff, cherty

Dolomite, buff, cherty; argillaceous near base

Shale, blue, dolomitic; phosphatic depauperate fauna at base

Sys

tem

Silurian

Ordovician

Cam

brian

Middleand

Low

erUpper

Middle

Low

erUpper

Ser

ies

Modified from Heyl et al., 1959

40

Gle

StudyZone

Aquitard

Shale Maquoketa Confining Unit

12-16Shale 0-8

0-18

Glenwood Shale 0-3St. Peter-Prairie du Chien-

Jordan Aquifer

Sinnipee Aquifer

Sinnipee

Maquoketa

30

20-24

40 +40 +

55-75

32-44

Unalteredthickness (ft)

HydrogeologicUnit

108-240

120

105

225

20

Poorly cementedsandstone

Thinly bedded dolomiteand limestone

Mixed dolomite,limestone, and shale

Thickly bedded dolomite,cherty

Thickly bedded dolomite,vuggy

Group FormationMember andSubdivision

Description

Ancell

St. Peter

Pecatonica

Noncherty(Upper)Unit

Cherty(Low

er)Unit

Ion

GuttenbergSpechts FerryQuimbys Mill

McGregor

Galena

Stewartville

Dubuque

Prosser

Decorah

Platteville

Modified from Heyl et al., 1959 and You

GeologyDetailed Stratigraphy and Hydrostratigraphy

Unsaturatedin UFRW