Groundwater Monitoring

Introduction As a result of storage and disposal practices at a former Manufactured Gas Plant, or MGP, in Bay Shore, NY, a variety of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been detected at high concentrations in the surficial, upper glacial aquifer of Long Island. Levels of PAHs initially detected over 10 years ago were in the parts-per-thousand range within a groundwater contaminant plume.

Background In recent years, more and more people have become concerned about Long Island's supply of freshwater. Currently, there is no comprehensive, island-wide resource that summarizes recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research related to the Island's aquifer system. A webpage will be developed by the USGS that will compile published data from the hydrologic-surveillance program, in plac

Problem The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) has asked the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to assist in two major studies: 1) delineation of the source(s) of shallow groundwater and the extent that the Delaware Aqueduct is contributing to local flooding issues, and 2) delineation of the structural, geologic, and hydrologic conditions along proposed tunnel construction

Introduction High nitrate concentrations are a common concern among many purveyors, including the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA), the largest supplier of water to residents in Suffolk County. Typically, the amount of nitrate in groundwater is related to land use, where the greatest concentrations are observed in agricultural regions. In many areas, the nitrate concentration has increased st

Problem Previous hydrologic studies have indicated that there may be sufficient water resources underlying Queens, Kings, Richmond, New York, and Bronx Counties for use as a supplemental water supply in times of drought or other emergency. An extensive ground-water and surface-water monitoring program is necessary to provide a comprehensive hydrologic data set for use in ongoing and future ground-

The United States Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), monitors a network of observation wells throughout New York to provide current information on the effect of climatic conditions on groundwater levels. At present (2015), there are 95 observation wells in unconsolidated and bedrock aquifers, all of which are equip

Problem - Roof collapses in the Retsof salt mine near Geneseo N.Y. in March and April of 1994 propagated upward through overlying bedrock, forming a 600-ft-long rubble zone or chimney that connected the mine to a glacial aquifer system and created sinkholes at land surface. Fresh water from the glacial aquifers flowed downward into the mine until the mine was completely flooded in January 1996

Problem - The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) is constructing or proposing water tunnels under New York City and areas of southeastern New York (Hudson River Basin). These tunnels can intersect faults and fractures that produce large amounts of ground water. For example, one tunnel excavation intersected fractures that produced over 200 gallons per minute of groun

The Pepacton watershed is an integral part of New York City's public-water supply system. Most of the watershed is within Delaware County with headwaters of some of its eastern tributary streams originating in Greene and Ulster Counties. Land use varies from dairy farms in the northern portion of the watershed to extensive forested areas in the south with small rural communities interspersed throu

Problem Previous hydrologic studies have indicated that there may be sufficient water resources underlying Richmond, New York, and Bronx Counties for use as a supplemental water supply by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) in times of a drought or other water shortage. Unfortunately, comprehensive data on the quantity and quality of the Counties' water resources are

Problem The Tully Valley, located in southern Onondaga County has been the source of sediment and brackish water discharge to Onondaga Creek, a tributary to the Seneca and Oswego Rivers and eventually Lake Ontario. Information on the origin of the Tully Valley mudboils, their persistence, and the possible extent of their migration within the Tully Valley is needed to mitigate or remediate (1)the d

Problem - The Village of Pulaski in Oswego County, N.Y., obtains its water supply from groundwater that drains under gravity from an unconfined aquifer into three shallow dug wells. The well field is in an area where groundwater discharges to springs along the west edge of the Tug Hill Aquifer, which is comprised of beach and kame deposits of sand and gravel. A numerical groundwater model was c