This Ground Water Atlas of the United States is a series of USGS publications that describe the location, the extent, and the geologic and hydrologic characteristics of the important aquifers of the Nation. The series consists of 13 chapters that describe the regional groundwater resources that collectively cover 50 States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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What is the difference between a confined and an unconfined (water table) aquifer?
A confined aquifer is an aquifer below the land surface that is saturated with water. Layers of impermeable material are both above and below the aquifer, causing it to be under pressure so that when the aquifer is penetrated by a well, the water will rise above the top of the aquifer. A water table--or unconfined--aquifer is an aquifer whose upper water surface (water table) is at atmospheric...
How important is groundwater?
Groundwater, which is in aquifers below the surface of the Earth, is one of the Nation's most important natural resources. Groundwater is the source of about 37 percent of the water that county and city water departments supply to households and businesses (public supply). It provides drinking water for more than 90 percent of the rural population who do not get their water delivered to them from...
What is groundwater?
Groundwater is water that exists underground in saturated zones beneath the land surface. The upper surface of the saturated zone is called the water table. Contrary to popular belief, groundwater does not form underground rivers. It fills the pores and fractures in underground materials such as sand, gravel, and other rock, much the same way that water fills a sponge. If groundwater flows...
Where can I find detailed sampling methods for surface water and groundwater?
The National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data (National Field Manual) provides guidelines and standard procedures for USGS personnel who collect data used to assess the quality of the Nation’s surface water and groundwater resources. The manual is published as separate chapters. Learn more: Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations Reports
If the ground filters water, is groundwater always clean?
Water drawn from a well was once precipitation that fell onto Earth's surface. It seeped into the ground and, over time, occupied the porous space in some subsurface material. Big particles that are in surface streams, such as leaf chunks, will not be seen in groundwater. So, yes, big particles are filtered out by the ground, along with some minerals and chemicals that are too small to see. But...
Principal Aquifers of the 48 Conterminous United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 5, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi
Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 2, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah
Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 1, California, Nevada
Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 7, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 10, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee
Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 11, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 4, Oklahoma, Texas
Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 8, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 12, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 9, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Related Content
- FAQ
What is the difference between a confined and an unconfined (water table) aquifer?
A confined aquifer is an aquifer below the land surface that is saturated with water. Layers of impermeable material are both above and below the aquifer, causing it to be under pressure so that when the aquifer is penetrated by a well, the water will rise above the top of the aquifer. A water table--or unconfined--aquifer is an aquifer whose upper water surface (water table) is at atmospheric...
How important is groundwater?
Groundwater, which is in aquifers below the surface of the Earth, is one of the Nation's most important natural resources. Groundwater is the source of about 37 percent of the water that county and city water departments supply to households and businesses (public supply). It provides drinking water for more than 90 percent of the rural population who do not get their water delivered to them from...
What is groundwater?
Groundwater is water that exists underground in saturated zones beneath the land surface. The upper surface of the saturated zone is called the water table. Contrary to popular belief, groundwater does not form underground rivers. It fills the pores and fractures in underground materials such as sand, gravel, and other rock, much the same way that water fills a sponge. If groundwater flows...
Where can I find detailed sampling methods for surface water and groundwater?
The National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data (National Field Manual) provides guidelines and standard procedures for USGS personnel who collect data used to assess the quality of the Nation’s surface water and groundwater resources. The manual is published as separate chapters. Learn more: Techniques of Water-Resources Investigations Reports
If the ground filters water, is groundwater always clean?
Water drawn from a well was once precipitation that fell onto Earth's surface. It seeped into the ground and, over time, occupied the porous space in some subsurface material. Big particles that are in surface streams, such as leaf chunks, will not be seen in groundwater. So, yes, big particles are filtered out by the ground, along with some minerals and chemicals that are too small to see. But...
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Principal Aquifers of the 48 Conterminous United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
This map layer contains the shallowest principal aquifers of the conterminous United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, portrayed as polygons. The map layer was developed as part of the effort to produce the maps published at 1:2,500,000 in the printed series "Ground Water Atlas of the United States". The published maps contain base and cultural features not included in thGround Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 5, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi
The States of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, which are located adjacent to each other and north of the Gulf of Mexico, compose Segment 5 of this Atlas. The three-State area encompasses an area of nearly 149,000 square miles. These States are drained by numerous rivers and streams, such as the Atchafalaya, the Teche, the Vermilion, the Calcasieu, the Mermentau, the Sabine, the Tombigbee, theGround Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 2, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah
This chapter of the Ground Water Atlas of the United States describes the aquifers in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. These four States, which comprise Segment 2 of this Atlas, are located in the Southwestern United States and extend from the rolling grasslands of the Great Plains on the east across the Rocky Mountains and Continental Divide to the desert basins of the Southwest. The 425,Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 1, California, Nevada
California and Nevada compose Segment 1 of the Ground Water Atlas of the United States. Segment 1 is a region of pronounced physiographic and climatic contrasts. From the Cascade Mountains and the Sierra Nevada of northern California, where precipitation is abundant, to the Great Basin in Nevada and the deserts of southern California, which have the most arid environments in the United States, fewGround Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 7, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
The States of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, which total 248,730 square miles, compose Segment 7 of this Atlas. The area is geologically and topographically diverse and contains a wealth of scenic beauty, natural resources, and ground and surface water that generally are suitable for all uses. Most of the area of Segment 7 is drained by the Columbia River, its tributaries, and other streams that dGround Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 10, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee
This report provides a summary of ground-water conditions and problems in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee, which compose Segment 10 of the Ground Water Atlas of the United States, an area of about 217,000 square miles. The definition, distribution, thickness, water-yielding, and water-quality characteristics of the principal aquifers in the segment are the primary topics of this cGround Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 11, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
Segment 11 consists of the States of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, West Virginia, and the Commonwealths of Pennsylvania and Virginia. All but West Virginia border on the Atlantic Ocean or tidewater. Pennsylvania also borders on Lake Erie. Small parts of northwestern and north-central Pennsylvania drain to Lake Erie and Lake Ontario; the rest of the segment drains either to the AtGround Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 4, Oklahoma, Texas
The two States, Oklahoma and Texas, that compose Segment 4 of this Atlas are located in the south-central part of the Nation. These States are drained by numerous rivers and streams, the largest being the Arkansas, the Canadian, the Red, the Sabine, the Trinity, the Brazos, the Colorado, and the Pecos Rivers and the Rio Grande. Many of these rivers and their tributaries supply large amounts of watGround Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 8, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
The States of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming compose the 392,764-square-mile area of Segment 8, which is in the north-central part of the continental United States. The area varies topographically from the high rugged mountain ranges of the Rocky Mountains in western Montana and Wyoming to the gently undulating surface of the Central Lowland in eastern North Dakota and South DakoGround Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 12, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
The State of New York and the six New England States of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island compose Segment 12 of this Atlas (fig. 1). The seven States have a total land area of about 116,000 square miles (table 1); all but a small area in southwestern New York has been glaciated. Population in the States of Segment 12 totals about 30,408,000 (table 1) and iGround Water Atlas of the United States: Segment 9, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
Segment 9, which consists of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan, abuts the Canadian border in the upper Midwest and lies adjacent to or surrounds four of the Great Lakes-Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie. Thousands of small to large lakes similar to the one shown in figure 1 dot the landscape, which is drained by numerous rivers and streams tributary primarily to the Mississippi River in t - News