Hydrogeology of the Tully Valley Mudboil Area, Southern Onondaga County, New York Active

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 discharge of turbid water and  fine-grained sediment from the mudboils, (2) land-surface subsidence caused by the removal of sediment from below the land surface, and (3) degradation of Onondaga Creek by turbidity, fine-sediment deposition, and chloride loading.

Objectives

To define the glacial stratigraphy and hydraulic-head distribution within the unconsolidated deposits in the valley-fill aquifer system, identify the source(s) of artesian head driving the mudboils, and monitor the results of mudboil remediation projects.

Benefits

Results of the Tully mudboil area study will provide local, regional, state, and federal agencies with hydrogeologic data on the unconsolidated valley-fill deposits in the Tully Valley and what drives mudboil activity in this valley. The study also provides a means to monitor remediation efforts to control mudboil discharges on the local and watershed-level environments.

Related Publications

Kappel, W.M., 2014, The hydrogeology of the Tully Valley, Onondaga County, New York—An overview of research, 1992–2012: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2014–1076, 28 p., plus 3 appendixes http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20141076. 
http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2014/1076/

Coon, W.F., 2011, Improvement in precipitation-runoff model simulations by recalibration with basin-specific data, and subsequent model applications, Onondaga Lake Basin, Onondaga County, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5203, 37 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2011/5203/

Kappel, W.M, 2009, Remediation of mudboil discharges in the Tully Valley of Central New York: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009–1173, 8 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1173/

Coon, W.F., Hayhurst, B.A., Kappel, W.M., Eckhardt, D.A.V., and Szabo, C.O., 2009, Water-quality characterization of surface water in the Onondaga Lake basin, Onondaga County, New York, 2005–08: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5246, 67 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2009/5246/

Hackett, W.R., Gleason, G.C., and Kappel, W.M., 2009, Land-surface subsidence and open bedrock fractures in the Tully Valley, Onondaga County, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009-1188, 16 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1188/

Tamulonis, K.L., and Kappel, W.M., 2009, Dendrogeomorphic assessment of the Rattlesnake Gulf landslide in the Tully Valley, Onondaga County, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5134, 14 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2009/5134/

Tamulonis, K.L., Kappel, W.M., and Shaw, S.B., 2009, Causes and movement of landslides at Rainbow Creek and Rattlesnake Gulf in the Tully Valley, Onondaga County, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5114, 18 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2009/5114/

Kappel, W.M. and Yager, R.M., 2008, Ground­water-flow modeling of a freshwater and brine-filled aquifer in the Onondaga Trough, Onondaga County, New York--A summary of findings: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1409, 12 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1409/

Coon, W.F. and Reddy, J.E., 2008, Hydrologic and water-quality characterization and modeling of the Onondaga Lake basin, Onondaga County, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investiga­tions Report 2008-5013, 88 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5013/

Coon, W.F., 2008, Simulation of streamflow and selected water-quality constituents through a model of the Onondaga Lake basin, Onondaga County, NY--A guide to model application: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1188, 27 p., online only.  http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1188/

Kappel, W.M. and Teece, M.A., 2007, Paleoenviron­mental assessment and deglacial chronology of the Onondaga Trough, Onondaga County, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1060, 12 p. http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr20071060

Yager, R.M., Kappel, W.M., and Plummer, L.N., 2007, Halite brine in the Onondaga Trough near Syracuse, New York - characterization and simulation of variable-density flow: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5058, 40 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2007/5058/

Kappel, W.M. and Miller, T.S., 2005, Hydrogeology of the Valley-Fill Aquifer in the Onondaga Trough, Onondaga County, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5007, 13 p. http://ny.water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/sir055007/

Kappel, W.M. and Miller, T.S., 2003, Hydrogeology of the Tully Trough -- Southern Onondaga County and Northern Cortland County, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4112, 16 p. http://ny.water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri034112/

Pair, D.L. and Kappel, W.M., 2002, Geomorphic studies of landslides in the Tully Valley, New York: Implications for public policy and planning: Geomorphology, v. 47, issues 2-4, 1 October 2002, p. 125-135, DOI: 10.1016/S0169-555X(02)00099-5, PII: S0169-555X(02)00099-5, Elsevier Science B.V. http://ny.water.usgs.gov/pubs/jrn/ny0155/jrn02­r20500g.pdf

Kappel, W.M., Miller, T.S., and Hetcher, K.K., 2001, Hydrogeology of the Tully Lakes area in southern Onondaga and northern Cortland Counties, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 01-4166, 16 p. http://ny.water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri014166/

Kappel, W.M., 2000, Salt production in Syracuse, New York ("The Salt City") and the hydrogeology of the Onondaga Creek Valley: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 139-00, 8 p. http://ny.water.usgs.gov/pubs/fs/fs13900/FS139­00.pdf

Pair, D.L., Kappel, W.M., and Walker, M.S., 2000, History of landslides at the base of Bare Mountain, Tully Valley, Onondaga County, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 0190-99, 6 p. http://ny.water.usgs.gov/pubs/fs/fs19099/FS190­99.pdf

McKenna, J.E., Chiotti, T.L., and Kappel, W.M., 1999, Ecological status of Onondaga Creek in Tully Valley, New York -- Summer 1998: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 141-99, 6 p. http://ny.water.usgs.gov/pubs/fs/fs14199/FS141­99.pdf

Kappel, W.M., 1998, Mudboils, land subsidence, and landslides in the Tully Valley of central New York, in Borchers, J. W., ed., 1998, Land subsidence case studies and current research: Proceedings of the Dr. Joseph F. Poland Symposium on Land Subsidence, Association of Engineering Geologists, Special Publication No. 8, p. 453-463.

Wieczorek, G.F., Negussey, Dawit, and Kappel, W.M., 1998, Landslide hazards in glacial lake clays-Tully Valley, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 013-98, 1 folded sheet. http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/fs01398

Kappel, W.M., 1997, Hydrogeologic features of the Tully Valley, Onondaga County, New York, in Rayne, T. W., Bailey, D. G., and Tewksbury, B. J., eds., Field trip guide for the 69th annual meeting of the New York State Geological Association, Sept. 26-28, 1997, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY, p. 159-165.

Kappel, W.M., Sherwood, D.A., and Johnston, W.H., 1996, Hydrogeology of the Tully Valley and characterization of mudboil activity, Onondaga County, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 96-4043,71p http://ny.water.usgs.gov/pubs/wri/wri964043/

Kappel, W.M., 1995, Mudboils in the Tully Valley, Onondaga County, New York, in Prince, K.R., Galloway, D.L., and Leake, S.A., eds., U.S. Geological Survey subsidence interest group conference, Edwards Air-Force Base, Antelope Valley, California, November 18-1, 1992 -- Abstracts and Summary: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-532, p. 7-11 http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr94532

Kappel, W.M. and Yanosky, T.M., 1995, Dendrochro­nologic record of 100 years of solution brine mining within the Tully Valley in Central New York [abs.]: Eastern Section of American Association of Petroleum Geologists and New York State Geological Associa­tion Joint Annual Meeting, October 13-17, 1995, Schenectady, NY, p. 38.

Jäger, Stephan, and Wieczorek, G.F., 1994, Landslide susceptibility in the Tully Valley area, Finger Lakes Region, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-0615, 1 plate.

Waller, R.M., 1977, Subsidence in New York related to ground-water discharge: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1050, p. 258 http://ny.water.usgs.gov/pubs/abs/abs-75591.pdf

Project
Location by County

Onondaga County, NY