This morning
Wisconsin & Groundwater
Paul McGinley
University of WI-Stevens Point
• What is Groundwater?
• Role of Woodlands?
• What’s in the water?
• How did that get in there?
Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association
1-What Is Groundwater?
1-What Is Groundwater?
Water found
underground in the
cracks or spaces in
the rock, soil, sand or
other geologic
material.
http://www.exploringnature.org
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1-What Is Groundwater?
1-What Is Groundwater?
Sand or gravel or rock…
http://www.exploringnature.org
Water filling the spaces…
http://www.exploringnature.org
1-What Is Groundwater?
2- Role of Woodlands (& Land in
General)
~100 feet
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WISCONSIN?
WISCONSIN?
2000’
Lake
Superior
Lake
Superior
Mississippi River
Dubuque
Mississippi River
Dubuque
Gulf of
Mexico
Gulf of
Mexico
Low Elevation
(L Superior)
Highest Elevation
WISCONSIN?
2000’
600’
Lake
Superior
592’
Mississippi River
Dubuque
Gulf of
Mexico
Low Elevation
(Mississippi R)
Low Elevation
(L Michigan)
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this water keeps
moving…
downhill…
32” Precip.
32” Precip.
22” EvapoTrans.
Network of
streams drains
water out of
Wisconsin
http://w
ww.expl
oringnat
ure.org
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32” Precip.
And it is a lot of water….
22” EvapoTrans.
one
square
mile
~10” Remains
Really?
And it is a lot of water….
• USGS 05369000 RED CEDAR RIVER AT
MENOMONIE, WI
• DRAINAGE AREA.--1,770 square miles.
one
square
mile
Per
Second!
Average flow
~1350 cubic feet per second
5
Groundwater…30,000 foot view
Side View
Perspective view
Let’s Add a Well
6
Rain
“Soft”
“Acidic”
3. What’s in the Water or….
When Water & Land Collide or
From Rain to Drinking Water
Groundwater
Mineralized
Can be “Hard”
Maybe Iron / Sulfur
Rain + Land = Water Quality
Calcium = 0.5 mg/l
Calcium = 20 mg/l
http://www.exploringnature.org
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TOTAL HARDNESS
Simplified Wisconsin Bedrock Geology
“granite”
dolomite
sandstones/
dolomite
Soft Water
Very Hard
Water
[2 - 25)
[25 - 50)
[50 - 150)
[150 - 200)
[200 - 300)
[300 - 400)
[400 - 500)
[500...
Township Averages
Where can I get this information?
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Well
Water
101
Well
Water
Viewer
Soft Water
Very Hard
Water
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Other “Geologic” Constituents
• Total Hardness (common minerals–
mostly calcium and magnesium)
• Acid or Basic
• Iron
4. How did that get in the
water?
SUCRALOSE
NITRATE
– Sometimes a “rotten egg” odor– sulfur
• Potential problems (area-specific)
include arsenic
Nitrate… a challenge
HERBICIDES
CAFFEINE
Rain + Land = Water Quality
Nitrate = 0.5 mg/l
• Drinking water contaminant
– Health based standard = 10 mg/l N
• Surface water nutrient
– Loading to streams/ocean
– Gulf hypoxia
Nitrate = ? mg/l
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Rain + Land = Water Quality
Less than 5% Exceed
leach 25 lb/acre/year
More than 25% Exceed
Nitrate = 10 mg/l
Using Viewer to Examine Percentage of Private Well
SamplesThat Exceed Nitrate Standard
Private Well Study– Suburban Area
“Tracers” for Sources of
Contamination
• Artificial sweeteners and other common
household products as tracers of septic
systems
• Exploring fragments of pesticides as
tracers of agricultural contamination
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Suburban
Agricultural
• Research study looking at several subdivisions
• Groundwater travels through agricultural and
suburban (with septic systems) areas
• “Developing and Testing a Method for the Analysis
of Chemical Human Waste Markers…” (available on
our web page)
• Acknowledgments
– UW-Extension
(Kevin Masarik & Dave Mechenich
•
•
•
•
Summary & For More Information
Wisconsin Water = Tremendous Resource
Water flows downhill
Geology important to composition
Contaminants can be added along the way
– Water & Environmental Analysis Laboratory
(Amy Nitka & Bill DeVita)
– Students in the College of Natural
Resources
– Paul McGinley
– UW-Stevens Point
– pmcginle@uwsp.edu
– (715) 346-4501
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