Detailed Aquifer Mapping Program in Upstate New York

Location of aquifers mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey

In 1980 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a Detailed Aquifer Mapping Program in upstate New York, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Underground Injection Control Program. The objective of this program was to define the hydrogeology of 21 extensively used (primary) stratified-drift aquifers in upstate New York, and to present the information as individual sets of maps at 1:24,000-scale. Each published report from this program describes the hydrogeology of a specific aquifer or segment of aquifer, and depicts selected hydrogeologic characteristics. The number of maps varies among reports, depending upon the amount of hydrogeologic data that was available for each area studied. Eleven of these primary aquifers were mapped by the USGS under the cooperative program with NYSDOH, and four were mapped by a consulting firm under contract with the USEPA, with the resulting reports published by the USGS. By 1983, 15 of these 21 primary aquifers had been mapped and the results published by the USGS, in addition to two summary atlases. As a continuation of this program, a second project was begun in 1983 by the USGS in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to define the hydrogeology of the remaining 6 primary aquifers. From 1983 to 1990, reports covering 5 of these primary aquifers were published by the USGS.

In 1987, a companion project was begun in cooperation with the NYSDEC to define the hydrogeology of eight additional extensively used (principal) aquifers in New York. As before, the reports resulting from this project each consist of a set of 1:24,000-scale (or larger) maps that describe the hydrogeology of a specific aquifer, and depict selected hydrogeologic characteristics, such as well and test-hole locations, surficial geology, bedrock-surface altitude, geologic sections, land use, soil permeability, altitude of the water table or potentiometric surface, saturated thickness of the aquifer, and estimated well yields. The number of maps and topics presented differ among the reports, depending upon the amount of hydrogeologic data available. As of 2007, 12 reports from this second series have been published, for a total of 33 reports (including 2 summary atlases) from the Detailed Aquifer Mapping Program since its inception in 1980. In addition, five other related reports, funded in cooperation with other agencies but produced in the same map format, were published by the USGS from 1984-89 and effectively increase the number of aquifers mapped in upstate New York to 38. These reports form the foundation of NYSDEC's wellhead protection program in upstate New York, inasmuch as NYSDEC has proposed that mapped aquifer boundaries "...serve as the fundamental delineation of wellhead protection areas..," in New York State (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 1990).

Although 21 primary and 12 principal aquifers have been mapped in New York State, there still exists a constant need within the NYSDEC Division of Water programs to have interpreted hydrogeologic data available in map format for the many other principal aquifers that serve substantial populations with both publicly- and privately-supplied ground water. This data, in published reports, supports many NYSDEC Division of Water activities including delineation of ground water contributing areas, assessing potential threats to the aquifer from both point and non-point sources, responding to contaminant spills or leaks from underground fuel storage facilities, and providing information to assess the need to permit new or expanded public water supplies. Thus, there is a clear need for a continued hydrogeologic assessment of principal aquifers within upstate New York. Moreover, as the focus of a continued mapping effort moves into rural, more sparsely-populated principal aquifers, ground water use tends to shift from large municipal suppliers to smaller village supplies and domestic self-supplied ground water.

In 2006, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and the USGS cooperatively funded a Brownfield and Groundwater GIS project as required by 2003 legislation that established a Brownfield Cleanup Program (NYS Assembly Bill 9120). The NYSDEC developed an implementation plan for the B&GW project, and one action identified in that plan was the development of GIS datasets of aquifer maps published by the U.S. Geological Survey Detailed Aquifer Mapping Program. For this project, the aquifer boundaries for 34 published aquifer reports were evaluated, adjusted to include adjacent stratified-drift deposits if necessary, georeferenced, and digitized to produce GIS coverages. In addition, the surficial geologic maps from these 34 reports were evaluated, standardized in terms of geologic unit notation, and digitized to produce GIS coverages.

The long-term objective of this program is to continue the hydrogeologic assessment and mapping of selected principal aquifers within upstate New York. Selection of these aquifers would be flexible, so as to respond to changing program needs within the Division of Water. The main difference between this project and previous projects in the Detailed Aquifer Mapping Program would be the emphasis on the electronic release of published reports, rather than as printed paper copies. Electronic (digital) publishing would make release of completed aquifer maps more timely and at a reduced cost over conventionally printed maps. Digital release of the maps will provide a highly versatile and usable product. Reports could be released as a Web document and/or as a CD-ROM. CD-ROM versions could also include the GIS coverages used in the study.

The continuation of the Detailed Aquifer Mapping Program will advance the knowledge of the regional hydrologic system by providing State, county, and local water resource managers with a summary of the hydrogeology of selected stratified-drift (i.e.: principal) aquifers within New York State. The availability of detailed aquifer maps at 1:24,000 in an electronic format will serve to support many activities within the Division of Water including: delineation of ground water contributing areas as part of the Source Water Assessment Program, assessing potential threats to stratified-drift aquifers from both point and non-point sources, responding to contaminant spills or leaks from fuel-storage facilities, and providing hydrogeologic information to aid in assessing the need to permit new or expanded public water supplies. On a Federal level, this study will provide valuable information on the hydrogeology of selected stratified-drift aquifers in New York State and will contribute to the body of literature concerning the study of stratified-drift aquifers in the glaciated northeast.