%0 Conference Proceedings %B Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America %D 2006 %T Characterizing fractured crystalline bedrock aquifers using hydrostructural domains in the Nashoba Terrane, eastern Massachusetts %A Alex K Manda %A Stephen B Mabee %A David F Boutt %K #StaffPubs %K anisotropy %K aquifers %K BEDROCK %K characterization %K connectivity %K crystalline rocks %K eastern Massachusetts %K fractures %K ground water %K heterogeneity %K hydraulic conductivity %K Hydrogeology 21 %K massachusetts %K Nashoba terrane %K outcrops %K physical properties %K site exploration %K United States %K water wells %X Fractured crystalline bedrock aquifers are good sources of potable water in many parts of the world. However, siting of highly productive wells in these rock units remains a challenging and expensive task because fracture development at the regional scale is both heterogeneous and anisotropic. Using low cost field data to define units of rock that have similar lithologic and fracture characteristics can significantly reduce time and energy spent on determining areas with better than average aquifer productivity. These physical characteristics that impart a particular hydraulic character on rocks are used to delineate regions with similar hydrologic characteristics called hydrostructural domains (Mackie, 2002). Hydrostructural domains are delineated from fracture characterization data that were collected from 79 outcrops located in the Nashoba Terrane of eastern Massachusetts. Information collected and used to delineate the domains include the number and distribution of fracture sets, types of fractures present or absent, the degree of fracture development, fracture intensity/density, fracture connectivity and rock type. Discrete fracture networks are generated from the fracture characterization data to simulate groundwater flow in the region. Conductivity of particular units is evaluated and compared to results from existing pumping tests obtained from the US Geological Survey. Preliminary results indicate that there is great value in utilizing fracture characteristic data obtained from surface outcrops to predict subsurface groundwater flow characteristics of fractured bedrock aquifers. Water managers, developers and decision makers are eager to know which areas are the most promising for encountering highly conductive zones in the subsurface. Collecting extensive structural data from surface outcrops, although not as accurate as drilling wells, is a cheaper alternative that could provide at least a rough estimate of the hydraulic properties of fractured rocks leading to effective siting of new water wells. Hydrostructural domain maps may pinpoint specific areas that have a high potential for wells to encounter highly conductive zones and could therefore be a powerful tool in transferring information from one site to another without having to repeatedly undertake extensive site characterization. %B Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America %I Geological Society of America (GSA) : Boulder, CO, United States %C United States %V 38 %P 25 - 25 %8 2006/10/01/ %@ 00167592 %G eng %U https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2006AM/finalprogram/abstract_113075.htm %N 77 %! Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America %0 Conference Proceedings %B Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America %D 2006 %T Implications of diurnal river fluctuations on mass transport in a valley-fill aquifer %A Brandon J Fleming %A David F Boutt %A Stephen B Mabee %K #StaffPubs %K aquifers %K BEDROCK %K clastic sediments %K controls %K diffusion %K diurnal variations %K drainage %K drift %K Eastern U.S. %K Environmental geology 22 %K floods %K fluctuations %K geochemical cycle %K geologic hazards %K ground water %K measurement %K mixing %K models %K Northeastern U.S. %K numerical models %K nutrients %K pollution %K processes %K pumping %K quantitative analysis %K residence time %K sediments %K shallow aquifers %K surface water %K three-dimensional models %K tracers %K transport %K United States %K valleys %K water pollution %K water resources %K water wells %X Aquifers located in isolated stratified drift deposits in the northeastern portion of the US are extremely fragile and important groundwater resources. These aquifers, when restricted to bedrock valleys, are often strongly coupled to significant surface water drainage systems. In northwestern Massachusetts, surface water associated with the Deerfield River watershed is highly regulated by dams to protect against flooding and to generate hydroelectric power. Regular releases of water from these dams cause diurnal fluctuations in river stage. In a previous study performed by the USGS, measurements from two clusters of wells show a significant response to river stage fluctuations in the aquifer. Fluctuations in river stage and resulting changes in head levels in the aquifer cause a switch from a losing to a gaining stream. The flow reversals have implications for mass transport and nutrient cycling within the hyporheic zone. In this paper we investigate the physical hydrologic controls on mass transport in the shallow aquifer. Using a coupled groundwater flow and transport code, we built a quasi three dimensional transient numerical model to approximate the head changes in the aquifer caused by the stage fluctuations in the river. Flow velocities and residence times were estimated in the aquifer for a variety of flow conditions. The mixing process driven by the aquifer head changes were quantified in the proximity of the hyporheic zone and shown to significantly influence both vertical and horizontal flow velocities in a region close to the stream-aquifer boundary. The diurnal river stage changes also appear to influence farfield hydrologic conditions and potentially hydrologically isolate the river and hyporheic zone. To further investigate these mixing processes we applied a mass transport code with conservative tracers to the aquifer. Fluctuation of the river stage combined with the heterogeneous nature of the aquifer creates a pumping mechanism that creates excess mixing within shallow portions of the aquifer. Aquifer dispersivity and molecular diffusion both contribute to the anomalous mixing modeled in the shallow aquifer. Mixing driven by stream stage changes has important implications for nutrient cycling as well as contaminant transport in the shallow aquifer. %B Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America %I Geological Society of America (GSA) : Boulder, CO, United States %C United States %V 38 %P 468 - 468 %8 2006/10/01/ %@ 00167592 %G eng %U https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2006AM/finalprogram/abstract_115285.htm %N 77 %! Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America