By arrangment with Mr. J. Z. Columbia, Superintendent of the Ambridge Water Works, the United States Geological Survey conducted a "pumping test" in the Ambridge well field on November 10, 1949. As used in this report, "pumping test" means pumping a well at a fixed rate to determine the hydrologic properties of the water-bearing formation. By measuring the decline and recovery of water level in the pumped well and in other observation wells the necessary information is obtained for computing these properties.
Such procedures are part of the field activities of the ground-water program in Pennsylvania being sponsored jointly by the Pennsylvania Topographic and Geologic Survey and the United States Geological Survey.
The amount of water that can be pumped from an underground formation depends upon its ability to transmit water to a well and upon the amount of water that is released from storage when the water table or pressure head is lowered. The first is measured by the coefficient of transmissibility and the second by the coefficient of storage. These two characteristics are then used to determine the effect on water levels caused by changes in the location and rate of pumping from the aquifer.
