%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 Proceedings of the National Symposium on Aquifer Restoration and Ground-Water Monitoring %D 1983 %T A cost-effective technique for reconnaissance evaluation of aquifers %A Heeley, Richard W. %A Stephen B Mabee %K #StaffPubs %K aquifers %K case studies %K economics %K evaluation %K Groton %K ground water %K hydrogeology %K Hydrogeology 21 %K Mashpee %K massachusetts %K methods %K monitoring wells %K Newton %K pollution %K pump tests %K specific capacity %K surveys %K transmissivity %K United States %K waste disposal %K water resources %K water supply %K water wells %K wells %K Westford %B Proceedings of the National Symposium on Aquifer Restoration and Ground-Water Monitoring %I National Water Well Association : Worthington, OH, United States %C United States %V 3 %P 213 - 219 %8 1983/01/01/ %@ 07499515 %G eng %U https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDgQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fuwyo.coalliance.org%2Fislandora%2Fobject%2Fwyu%253A10425%2Fdatastream%2FOBJ%2Fdownload%2FProceedings_Of_The_Third_National_Symposium_On_Aquifer_R %! Proceedings of the National Symposium on Aquifer Restoration and Ground-Water Monitoring %0 Conference Proceedings %B Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America %D 2005 %T Fracture characterization maps; a new type of geologic map for hydrogeologic applications %A Stephen B Mabee %A Joseph P Kopera %K #StaffPubs %K applications %K aquifers %K BEDROCK %K characterization %K classification %K crystalline rocks %K exploration %K fractures %K ground water %K hydrodynamics %K Hydrogeology 21 %K mapping %K movement %K overburden %K permeability %K potentiometric surface %K spatial distribution %K surficial aquifers %K thickness %K water wells %K water yield %X Integration of a wide array of structural data with well-field hydrologic testing is increasingly recognized as a critical step in understanding groundwater flow behavior and recharge in crystalline bedrock aquifers (Lyford et al., 2003, Walsh and Lyford, 2002). As part of its rejuvenated mapping program, The Massachusetts Office of the State Geologist has been producing fracture characterization maps as a value-added accompaniment to traditional 1:24:000-scale bedrock mapping. Fracture characterization maps reclassify bedrock into domains of varying hydrologic significance, by combining rock properties (foliation steepness and development, partings, sheeting development, etc...) and type of overburden (permeable vs. non-permeable). The goal of these maps is to better understand preferential flow directions in the bedrock and the potential hydraulic connections between surficial and bedrock aquifers. Each fracture characterization map contains several summary panels, including standard geologic map bases overlain by typical rose diagrams and stereonets displaying fracture domains and trajectories, sheeting distribution, foliation trajectories, bedrock elevations, generalized piezometric surface configuration, and overburden type and thickness with separations into permeability class. A GIS well database is also included, showing well distribution, yield, bedrock elevation, and "hot-linked" well log images. All maps and raw data are made available to the public in paper, digital (PDF) or GIS format. We believe this approach will provide hydrologists and consultants with basic framework data that will expedite and improve the planning of subsurface investigations, construction activities, and groundwater exploration. %B Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America %I Geological Society of America (GSA) : Boulder, CO, United States %C United States %V 37 %P 145 - 145 %8 2005/10/01/ %@ 00167592 %G eng %U https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2005AM/finalprogram/abstract_94576.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 %0 Journal Article %J Ground Water %D 1999 %T Factors influencing well productivity in glaciated metamorphic rocks %A Stephen B Mabee %K #StaffPubs %K aquifers %K BEDROCK %K controls %K depth %K drinking water %K fractures %K Georgetown Island %K glacial environment %K ground water %K Hydrogeology 21 %K Maine %K metamorphic rocks %K porosity %K surface water %K thickness %K topography %K transmissivity %K United States %K water wells %B Ground Water %I National Water Well Association, Ground-Water Technology Division : Urbana, IL, United States %C United States %V 37 %P 88 - 97 %8 1999/02/01/ %@ 0017467X %G eng %U http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-6584.1999.tb00961.x/abstract %N 11 %! Ground Water %0 Generic %D 0 %T SearchWell - MassDEP Well Driller Program %K #Geothermal %K #Hydro %K #MapsDataPublications %K #Subsurface %K #Water %K #WaterResources %K aquifer %K boreholes %K boring logs %K glacial %K ground source heat pumps %K groundwater %K GSHP %K search well %K searchwell %K subsurface %K subsurface data %K water resources %K water wells %K well completion reports %K wells %X

Searchable online database of well completion reports in Massachusetts. Maintained by MassDEP

%I MassDEP %G eng %U https://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/dep/searchwell/