Groundwater, Lakes, and Wetlands: How They Interact

Perry Jones

U.S. Geological Survey

Presentation Outline

What is groundwater?

How does groundwater interact with lakes and wetlands?

How do you measure/assess groundwater/surface-

water interactions?

Groundwater

Groundwater - water below the land surface totally filling openings in underground

rocks and sediments

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1993/ofr93-643/

From U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-643

Recharge - water that seeps from the land surface down to the groundwater

Water table - top of groundwater

"Groundwater moves along flow paths of varying lengths in transmitting

water from areas of recharge to areas of discharge“ USGS Circular 1139

Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions

Exchange of water and its components between aquifers and other

groundwater systems and surface-water bodies

Areal Photography, White Bear Lake

April 1, 2006

Aquifer - underground rocks and sediments containing groundwater for

water supplies

Mahtomedi Public Beach

Groundwater Discharge to Ditches

Groundwater/Lakes/Wetlands Interactions

Lakes and wetlands can

A) receive groundwater inflow

B) lose water to groundwater

C) both

http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1139/

From USGS Circular 1139

General Water Balance - Closed Basin Lake

Precipitation

Evaporation

Plant

Transpiration

Well

Factors controlling the amount and location of

groundwater interacts with lakes and wetlands

Physical and hydraulic characteristics of lake sediments

and aquifer material

Groundwater and surface-water levels

Characteristics of lakes and wetlands

Topographic settings – upland, hillslope, and lowland

Closed versus open basins

Characteristics of lakes and wetlands

Watershed area

Geologic settings – presence of bedrock valleys,

fractures

Regulated water levels/flows

What could cause changes groundwater

interacts with lakes and wetlands?

2) Water use

Changes in:

3) Water diversions

1) Climate

Factors To Consider In Tools/Techniques Selection

Study objective – location, flow direction, or flux

Scale of interest

Hydrologic/water-quality setting

Groundwater/Surface-Water Interactions

3000!

0.2

Editors:

Don Rosenberry

and Jim LaBaugh

http://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/04d02/

Examples of Tools/Techniques

Identifying locations of exchange/flow directions

Portable piezometers

(hydraulic potentiomanometers)

Thermal signatures

Major constituents

Stable isotopes

Seepage meters

Water-borne geophysical surveys

Measuring/Calculating Flux

Wells

Baseflow discharge measurements

Groundwater-flow modeling

Potentiometric Surface

for Quaternary (Glacial)

Water-table Aquifer

March 2011

12 wells and 66 lakes

Contribution Area to Lake – Glacial Aquifers

Well – water level measurement

Direction of Groundwater Inflow

Direction of Lake Water Outflow

Potentiometric Contour

Water-table aquifer

Buried aquifer

Groundwater Synoptic Water Levels

Mahtomedi Public Beach

Site 1

Well/Piezometers

- Well

- Shallow

Piezometer

- Deep

Piezometer

N

40

231

338

319

65

- Specific

Conductivity

(µS/cm2) in

Lake and Well

Waters - 6/ 1998

Wells Surveys - Water level differences and quality

Portable Piezometer Surveys - Water level differences and quality

Rosenberry and LaBaugh, 2008

July – September, 2011

Water Temperatures in Nearshore Lake Sediments

16 - 18 °

14 -16 °

12 -14 °

18 - 20 °

20 - 22 °

22 - 24 °

24 - 26 °

26 - 28 °

28 - 30 °

Cooler Temperatures –

Groundwater Inflow

(springs)

Collected Water Samples

USGS “Air USGS “Air

Force”Force”

Water-quality survey - Ecomapper

July 11-14, 2011 White Bear Lake

Nearshore Seepage Meter Surveys – August 2011

Average Flux (cm/day)

Outflow – less than 0.15

3.0

28

7.0

20

3.2

6.9

27

3.0

Small Inflow (0.02 – 1.1)

High Inflow (3.0 – 28)

Rosenberry and LaBaugh, 2008

Stable Isotopes – Lake Hydrology

Isotopes – “heavy” and “light” forms of the same chemical

element, i.e. hydrogen, oxygen

Hydrology

Use isotopic ratios to

identify sources and mixtures of waters

Compare

“Light/Heavy” Hydrogen ratio vs “Light/Heavy” Oxygen ratio

Snow, rain, lake water, and well water samples

What are stable isotopes?

Stable Isotopes – White Bear Lake

Snow, Rain, and Lake Water Lake Water

Wells Sampled for

Stable Isotope Analysis

2011 – 2012

Aquifers

- Glacial (GLA)

- St. Peter Sandstone (STP)

Prairie du Chien Group /

Jordan Sandstone (PDCJ)

N

- August – November 2011

- May 2012

- Both sampling periods

0

0

1 mile

1 kilometer

Groundwater sampled from wells and surface waters sampled from White Bear Lake

100% Groundwater

100%

Lake

water

Groundwater sampled from wells and surface waters sampled from White Bear Lake

100% Groundwater

100%

Lake

water

Prairie du Chien/Jordan Aquifer (May 2012)

Groundwater sampled from wells and surface waters sampled from White Bear Lake

100% Groundwater

100%

Lake

water

Prairie du Chien/Jordan Aquifer (May 2012)

Prairie du Chien/Jordan Aquifer (August 2012)

Stable Isotope Model

2011 - Wells

Percentage of Contribution

N

St. Peter Sandstone

Glacial

Groundwater Lake water

General Groundwater Flow Direction – PDCJ

August 2011

Prairie du Chien Group /

Jordan Sandstone (PDCJ)

General Hydrogeology – White Bear Lake

1,000

1,000

800

600

400

Elevation

(feet AMSL)

Geology

White Bear Lake

Glacial

Sands/Clays/

Tills

St. Peter S.S

Prairie du Chien

Group

Jordan Sandstone

St. Lawrence

Formation

West East

Well

Mixture of

Groundwater/Lake

Water

(modified from Mossler and Bloomgren, 1990)

920’ 925’ 925’

912’

910’ 908’

White Bear Lake – Line 22

Structure Slumped

Sediments

“Trapped” Gases in Sediments

Continuous-seismic-reflection profiling

From Jeff Green, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Rochester

Nitrogen Losses and Groundwater Movement in the vicinity of

Decorah Edge Wetlands

Decorah edge wetlands

St. Peter Sandstone

Glenwood Shale

Platteville Limestone

Decorah Shale

Cummingsville

Limestone/Shale

Groundwater

high nitrate conc.

Groundwater

low nitrate conc.

Groundwater discharge to

wetlands/soils

Denitrification

Plant Uptake

Immobilization in soil

Microorganisms

in soils

Recharge aquifers

Nitrate Concentrations (mg N·L-1) in Monitoring Points in Wetland, 2004

0 50 100 150 200

Distance along Transect from Upgradient Monitoring Point (ft)

0

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

April 13-14

May 10-11

June 14-16 0 50 100 150 200

Distance along Transect from

Upgradient Monitoring Point (ft)

0

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

August 3-11

October 18-20

N

Monitoring Points

Transect 1

Transect 2

Transect 3

Transect 4

Transect 5

Up

Up - Upgradient

Up

Up Up

Up

Down - Downgradient

Down

Down

Down

Down

Down

Groundwater-Flow Modeling: Rising Water Levels - Canisteo Mine Pit

Mine Pit Water Levels – 1998 - 2013

Groundwater-Flow Simulation - Canisteo Mine Pit

MODFLOW/MODPATH

simulations – Different Pit

Water Levels

- Taconite

Municipal Wells

- Bovey

- Coleraine

0 0.500.25 MILES

0 0.25 0.50 KILOMETERS

Quarry Hill Well

Olmsted Cty Wells 1 and 2

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000

Discharge

(cfs)

Distance Downgradient of Highway 22 (ft)

0 0.500.25 MILES

0 0.25 0.50 KILOMETERS

Quarry Hill Well

Olmsted Cty Wells 1 and 2

-70

-65

-60

-55

-50

-45

-40

-10 -9 -8 -7 -6

Oxygen-18/oxygen-16 ratio, per mil

Deuterium/protium

ratio, per mil

Rochester Well 27

Silver Creek –

MDNR stream gage

Silver Creek - 15th Ave.

Silver Creek –11th Ave.

Meteoric Water Line

Princeton, MN

Sept.

Apr.

Oct.

Aug. July

June

May

Characterizing Groundwater/Surface-water Interactions

Know your objective and the scale of the issue

Use multiple tools/techniques

Know your hydrologic setting

3000!

0.2

47 47

123

74 211

245

285 61 46

Any Questions?

Photos from Phi Wheeler, Terry Lee, Olmsted County

Water Quantity Issues along Decorah Edge

Damage to Existing Housing

Olmsted County Web Presentation: The Decorah Edge: A Critical Ecological System

Construction

http://www.co.olmsted.mn.us/upload_dir/admin/decorahedge.pdf

Potentiometric Surface for

Prairie Du Chien/Jordan

Aquifer

March 2011

113 wells

Well – water level measurement

Potentiometric (Groundwater

Elevation) Contour

Estimated Potentiometric

Contour

N

Direction of Groundwater Flow

Groundwater Level Synoptic Survey

Measure water levels in wells and lakes

a short period of time

Results

Two surveys

1) March - April (low pumping) 2) August (high pumping)

measured water levels in 238 wells and 66 lakes

Regional Groundwater Levels for Aquifers in the

White Bear Lake Area

USGS, State of Minnesota (DNR, MPCA, and BWSR), Met Council

Iron Seeps forming at Mahtomedi Public Beach

Groundwater inflow to White Bear Lake

Areal Photography April 1, 2006

Cool Water Sediment Temperatures and Iron Stains

Conclusions on White Bear Lake

Low lake levels can be explained by higher

regional pumping and lower precipitation

Groundwater flows into the lake from glacial

sediments

Lake water flows out and reaches wells in Prairie

du Chien/Jordan and glacial aquifers

http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/

publication/sir20135044

White Bear Lake – Groundwater/Surface Water Report

Available on the web

at

GW/SW Interactions in NE Metro Lakes

• Statistical analysis of existing hydrologic information for NE

Metro lakes – (November 2013 – November 2014)

• Stable isotope of surface-water and groundwater and

age-dates of well waters (March 2013 – December 2014)

• Assess seepage rates between White Bear Lake and lower

aquifers (November 2013 – December 2015)

water-borne geophysics

lake-sediment coring

mini- piezometers/ seepage meters

tracer tests

• Assess the impact of gw pumping on lake levels using a

groundwater flow model and optimization techniques

(January 2014 – March 2016)

Groundwater sampled from wells and surface waters sampled from White Bear Lake

100% Groundwater

100%

Lake

water

Prairie du Chien/Jordan Aquifer (May 2012)

Prairie du Chien/Jordan Aquifer (August 2012)

Stable Isotope Model

2011-12 - Wells

Percentage of Contribution

N Groundwater Lake water

Prairie du Chien Group /

Jordan Sandstone (PDCJ)

Direction of Groundwater Flow

Potentiometric (Groundwater

Elevation) Contour

Estimated Potentiometric

Contour

N

White Bear Lake

Presence of “Sinkhole”? Mahtomedi, 1989

From: Barr and Alexander, 2012, 57th Midwest Ground Water Conference

White Bear

Lake

Lake Depth

From: MDNR, 1978

General Cross-section Showing Water Balance for a Closed

Basin Lake

Precipitation

(Rain and Snow)

GW flow

GW flow

Well Pumping

Deep GW flow

Evaporation

Transpiration

(Plants, Grass, Tree)

GW flow

Surface

Runoff

2011 Monthly Water Balance for White Bear Lake

March August

In inches

LL 1.8 -0.3

P 2.7 5.8

SR 0 1.5

GWin 2.1 1.8

E 0 4.9

Lwout - QWTA 0.1 0.1

Lwout - QBAA/Bedrock + Errors 2.9 4.4

Lake area = 2,401 acres

Water-quality survey - Ecomapper

Water temperature

July 11-14, 2011 White Bear Lake

Dissolved Oxygen

Specific Conductance

Chlorophyll

Turbidity

Blue-green Algae

pH

From: MDNR, 1978