Print this page Groundwater Engineering for Water Supplies - Geohydrology Case Study: A Confined Aquifer System
Conrad G. Leszkiewicz, PhD, PE, PG
Course Outline
The dominant application of groundwater engineering is the provision of water supplies for municipalities, agriculture, and industries. Sufficient groundwater supplies are essential for the health and economic well-being of the United States. With increasing demands for water from growing world populations, agriculture, and industry, as well as growing intermittent, if not long-term, shortages of surface water due to droughts, groundwater is becoming an even more important source of fresh water for society.
This 5-hour course is a case study looking at a confined aquifer system: the North Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system. This confined aquifer system is a key source of water for major cities, agriculture, and industries from New York to North Carolina. Study of this aquifer system provides a real-world example of how a confined aquifer system is formed, including the influence of an ancient asteroid impact crater in the Chesapeake Bay, and how it functions in the hydrologic cycle. This case study also demonstrates effects of excess groundwater withdrawals including land subsidence and salt water intrusion. This course can be taken independently, or used to enhance understanding of concepts described in Geohydrology Fundamentals, Aquifer Tests and Analyses; and Design, Construction, and Operation of Water Supply Wells courses.
This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to
enhance the understanding of the course materials.
Learning Objective
At the conclusion of this course, the student would have achieved an understanding of:
- The areal extent and physiological setting of the aquifer system;
- The major hydrologic units of the aquifer system and how they were formed;
- The extent and influences of the prehistoric impact crater;
- The interactions of recharge, groundwater flow, and surface water;
- History of groundwater development and usage;
- Aquifer response to groundwater pumping from confined aquifers;
- The potential for saltwater intrusion from over-pumping; and
- Concerns for land subsidence due to groundwater withdrawal.
This course is intended for civil-environmental engineers, geohydrologists, municipal planners, manufacturers and other professionals concerned with groundwater resources.
Benefit to Attendees
The subject matter of this course will be of benefit to professionals involved in water resource development and management including civil-environmental engineers, geohydrologists, municipal planners, agricultural entities, manufacturers and others concerned with groundwater resources. It will also be of benefit to others concerned with protecting these valuable water resources.
Course Introduction
In this course you will learn about a significant confined aquifer system that underlies one of the most populated regions of the United States. You will learn of the uniqueness of an aquifer impacted by a prehistoric asteroid crater, and also learn of the challenges facing users of that aquifer system, especially in regard to land subsidence and salt water intrusion.
Course Content
In this lesson, you are required to download and study the following documents: Pages 1-52 of USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5133, 2013: Hydrogeology and Hydrologic Conditions for the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Aquifer System from Long Island, New York to North Carolina, J.P. Masterson, J.P. Pope, J. Monti Jr., M.R. Nardi, J.S. Finkelstein, and K.J. McCoy; USGS Circular 1392, 2013: Land Subsidence and Relative Sea-Level Rise in the Southern Chesapeake Bay Region, J. Eggleston, and J. Pope; and USGS Fact Sheet 2011-3019, 2011: Assessing Groundwater Availability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Aquifer System, J.P. Masterson, J.P. Pope, J. Monti Jr., and M.R. Nardi.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2013/5133/pdf/sir2013-5133.pdf
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1392/pdf/circ1392.pdf
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2011/3019/pdf/fs2011-3019_masterson_508.pdf
Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.
Course Summary
The information provided in this course will detail the importance and uniqueness of this groundwater resource that lies under a highly populated segment of the United States, and concerns for its future use.
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
