Kentucky Geological Survey James C. Cobb, State Geologist and Director University of Kentucky, Lexington

Transcription

1 Kentucky Geological Survey James C. Cobb, State Geologist and Director University of Kentucky, Lexington Regional Groundwater Quality in Watersheds of the Upper Cumberland, Lower Cumberland, and Lower Tennessee Rivers, and the Jackson Purchase Region (Kentucky Basin Management Unit 3) R. Stephen Fisher, Bart Davidson, and Peter T. Goodmann Report of Investigations 15 Series XII, 2007

2 Our Mission Our mission is to increase knowledge and understanding of the mineral, energy, and water resources, geologic hazards, and geology of Kentucky for the benefit of the Commonwealth and Nation. Earth Resources Our Common Wealth Technical Level General Intermediate Technical ISSN

3 Contents Abstract...1 Introduction...3 Purpose...3 Goals...3 Background...3 Previous Investigations...4 Project Area...4 Hydrogeologic Unit Codes...6 Groundwater Sensitivity Regions...6 Methods...7 Site Selection for Expanded Monitoring...7 Sample Collection for Expanded Monitoring...8 Sample Analysis for Expanded Monitoring...9 Data Analysis and Summary...9 Results...13 Water Properties...13 ph...13 Total Dissolved Solids...17 Specific Electrical Conductance...20 Hardness...23 Total Suspended Solids...26 Inorganic Ions...29 Chloride...29 Sulfate...32 Fluoride...35 Metals...38 Arsenic...38 Barium...41 Iron...44 Manganese...47 Mercury...50 Nutrients...53 Nitrogen Species...53 Nitrate-Nitrogen...54 Nitrite-Nitrogen...57 Ammonia-Nitrogen...59 Phosphorus Species...62 Orthophosphate...62 Total Phosphorus...65 Pesticides ,4-D...69 Alachlor...71 Atrazine...74 Cyanazine...77 Metolachlor...79 Simazine...81 Volatile Organic Compounds...83 Benzene...83

4 Contents (Continued) Ethylbenzene...85 Toluene...87 Xylenes (Total)...89 MTBE...91 Summary and Conclusions...93 Acknowledgments...94 References Cited...95 Appendix A: QA/QC Plan...98 Figures 1. Physiographic regions, Basin Management Units, and major river watersheds in BMU Cumulative plot of ph values Sampled sites and ranges of ph values Summary of ph values grouped by physiographic region Summary of ph values grouped by major watershed Comparison of ph values from wells and springs Plot of ph values versus well depth Cumulative plot of total dissolved solids values Sample sites and ranges of total dissolved solids values Summary of total dissolved solids values grouped by physiographic region Summary of total dissolved solids values grouped by major watershed Comparison of total dissolved solids values from wells and springs Total dissolved solids values versus well depth Cumulative plot of conductance values Sample sites and ranges of conductance values Summary of conductance values grouped by physiographic region Summary of conductance values grouped by major river watershed Comparison of conductance values from wells and springs Conductance versus well depth Cumulative plot of hardness values Sample sites and ranges of hardness values Summary of hardness values grouped by physiographic region Summary of hardness values grouped by major river watershed Comparison of hardness values from wells and springs Hardness values versus well depth Cumulative plot of total suspended solids values Sample sites and ranges of total suspended solids values Summary of total suspended solids values grouped by physiographic region Summary of total suspended solids values grouped by major watershed Comparison of total suspended solids values from wells and springs Total suspended solids values versus well depth Cumulative plot of chloride values Sample sites and ranges of chloride values...30

5 Figures (Continued) 34 Summary of chloride values grouped by physiographic region Summary of chloride concentrations grouped by major watersheds Comparison of chloride values from wells and springs Chloride concentrations versus well depth Cumulative plot of sulfate values Sample sites and ranges of sulfate values Summary of sulfate values grouped by physiographic region Summary of sulfate values grouped by major watershed Comparison of sulfate values from wells and springs Sulfate values versus well depth Cumulative plot of fluoride values Sample sites and ranges of fluoride values Summary of fluoride values grouped by physiographic region Summary of fluoride values grouped by major watershed Comparison of fluoride values from wells and springs Fluoride values versus well depth Cumulative plot of arsenic values Sample sites and ranges of arsenic values Summary of arsenic values grouped by physiographic region Summary of arsenic values grouped by major watershed Comparison of total and dissolved arsenic values Comparison of arsenic values from wells and springs Arsenic concentrations versus well depth Cumulative plot of barium values in BMU Sample sites and ranges of barium values Summary of barium values grouped by physiographic region Summary of barium values grouped by major watershed Comparison of total and dissolved barium values Comparison of barium values from wells and springs Barium values versus well depth Cumulative plot of iron values Sample sites and ranges of iron concentrations Comparison of iron values grouped by physiographic region Comparison of iron values grouped by major watershed Comparison of total and dissolved iron values Comparison of iron values from wells and springs Iron values versus well depth Cumulative plot of manganese values Sample sites and ranges of manganese concentrations Comparison of manganese values grouped by physiographic region Comparison of manganese values grouped by major watershed Comparison of total and dissolved manganese values Summary of manganese concentrations grouped by site type Manganese values versus well depth...49

6 Figures (Continued) 78. Cumulative plot of mercury values Sample sites and ranges of mercury values Comparison of mercury values grouped by physiographic region Comparison of mercury values grouped by major watershed Comparison of dissolved and total mercury values Comparison of mercury values in springs and wells Mercury concentrations versus well depth Cumulative plot of nitrate-nitrogen concentrations Sample sites and nitrate-nitrogen values Summary of nitrate-nitrogen values grouped by major watershed Summary of nitrate-nitrogen data grouped by physiographic region Comparison of nitrate-nitrogen concentrations from wells and springs Nitrate concentrations versus well depth Sites where nitrite-nitrogen has been measured Cumulative plot of ammonia-nitrogen values from BMU Sample sites and ammonia-nitrogen values Ammonia-nitrogen data grouped by physiographic region Ammonia-nitrogen data grouped by major watershed Comparison of ammonia-nitrogen concentrations grouped by site type Ammonia-nitrogen concentrations versus well depth Cumulative plot of orthophosphate values in BMU Sample sites and orthophosphate-p values Comparison of orthophosphate values from springs and wells Orthophosphate values versus well depth Cumulative plot of total phosphorus values Sample sites and ranges of total phosphorus values Summary of total phosphorus values grouped by physiographic region Total phosphorus values grouped by major watershed Comparison of total phosphorus values from wells and springs Total phosphorus concentrations versus well depth Locations of sites where 2,4-D was measured and ranges of 2,4-D values Locations of sites where alachlor was measured and ranges of alachlor values Comparison of alachlor values in wells and springs Locations of sites where atrazine was measured and ranges of atrazine values Comparison of atrazine values from wells and springs Atrazine concentrations versus well depth Locations of sites where cyanazine was measured and ranges of cyanazine values Locations of sites where metolachlor was measured and ranges of metolachlor values Comparison of metolachlor values in wells and springs Metolachlor values versus well depth Locations of sites where simazine was measured and ranges of simazine values Sample sites and ranges of benzene values Sample sites and ranges of ethylbenzene values Sample sites and toluene values...88

7 Figures (Continued) 122. Sample sites and total xylene values Sample sites and MTBE values...92 Tables A1. Summary of nonpoint-source effects on groundwater quality in Kentucky Basin Management Unit Watershed names, HUC numbers, and physiographic regions Sample sites for expanded monitoring in Basin Management Unit Parameters and water-quality standards used for data summaries Summary of ph values Summary of total dissolved solids values Summary of conductance values Hardness classification of water supplies Summary of hardness values Summary of total suspended solids values Summary of chloride values Summary of sulfate values Summary of fluoride values Summary of arsenic values Summary of barium values Summary of iron values Summary of manganese values Summary of mercury values Summary of nitrate-nitrogen values Summary of nitrite-nitrogen values Summary of ammonia-nitrogen values Summary of orthophosphate-p values Summary of total phosphorus values Summary of 2,4-D values Summary of alachlor values Summary of atrazine values Summary of cyanazine values Summary of metolachlor values Summary of simazine values Summary of benzene values Summary of ethylbenzene values Summary of toluene values Summary of xylene values Summary of MTBE values Summary of nonpoint-source effects on groundwater quality in Basin Management Unit

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