Ground-water resources along the Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina

The best areas to develop ground water along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina are in broad draws and in stream valleys where draws open to the valleys. Saprolite thickness in these places can exceed 50 feet and provide adequate ground-water storage; draws are topographic expressions of fracture zones in the underlying bedrock, which transmit water from the overlying saprolite to the wells. Well yields along the parkway can exceed 25 gallons per minute. ' Good ' areas for wells, ' fair ' areas for wells, and inferred fracture zones are shown on a series of topographic maps of the parkway, and are based upon an assessment of the topography and saprolite thickness in each map area. The text that accompanies each map describes the geology of the area, recreational and associated facilities along the parkway, well and spring data, and potential yields of wells.