Fresh-Water Aquifer in the Knox Group (Cambrian–Ordovician) of Central Kentucky

Fresh water can be found in Cambrian and Ordovician carbonate rocks of the Knox Group in central Kentucky. The top of the aquifer is as much as 300 ft above mean sea level (m.s.l.) on the crest of the Cincinnati Arch, but descends off the flanks of the arch. Water is normally found in the upper 100 to 250 ft of the Knox, primarily in secondary porosity apparently associated with the unconformity at the top of the unit. Knox wells commonly exceed 750 ft in total depth, but because the aquifer is artesian, water rises to an elevation of about 500 ft above m.s.l. in most wells in central Kentucky. Some wells near the crest of the Cincinnati Arch produce water with relatively low concentrations of dissolved solids (500 to 3,000 milligrams per liter [mg/L]). Concentrations of dissolved solids commonly exceed 10,000 mg/L away from the crest of the arch. The Knox aquifer provides modest quantities of water (normally on the order of 10 to 20 gallons per minute) with less than 1,000 mg/L of dissolved solids to several wells in the Inner Blue Grass Region. As a result, it is a potential source of water for rural domestic supplies in central Kentucky

Intertextual Discourse and the Problem of God: The Intersection of the Speeches of Job and Deuteronomy

Common understandings of the books of Job and Deuteronomy cast them as contradictory documents. Some scholarship concurs with this view. Despite this understanding, scholarship has not thoroughly investigated the relationship of these two texts. The book of Job carries allusion and references to much literature in the Hebrew Bible and the ancient Near East. In this thesis, I argue that the speeches of the character Job create a constructive dialogue with the book of Deuteronomy. While the views of the books are not identical, I argue that the speeches of Job largely evidence affirmation of Deuteronomy rather than derision or deconstruction. In order to demonstrate this claim, I examine the views of socio-religious expectations and retributive justice exhibited in each book. After these investigations, I examine the many intertextual connections between the speeches of Job and Deuteronomy. Three conclusions emerge from the study. (1) The socio-religious expectations, especially social ethics, of the book of Job are strikingly similar to Deuteronomy’s expectations. It is possible that the author(s) of the book of Job used Deuteronomy as source material. (2) The views of retributive justice in the speeches of Job and Deuteronomy are similar, as opposed to popular belief. (3) Rhetorical analysis of Job’s uses of allusions and references to Deuteronomy reveals far more affirmation and agreement than disagreement and derision

Ground Water in the Kentucky River Basin

Most private wells in the Kentucky River Basin are in unconfined or semi-confined bedrock aquifers. Within these aquifers, high-yield zones are irregularly distributed. The most productive wells are drilled into fractured bedrock and alluvium along the Kentucky River floodplain. The data indicate that ground water acts as a buffer to peak and low flows in Kentucky River Basin streams. At current withdrawal rates, ground-water usage does not seem to have an adverse impact on the Kentucky River. Privately owned ground-water sources supply approximately 135,000 people living in the basin-approximately 19 percent of the total population and 36 percent of the rural population. More than 50 percent of residential water supplies in eastern Kentucky rely on ground water. If aquifers are protected from pollution by wellhead protection programs and old wells are retrofitted to prevent direct contamination, then ground water will continue to provide a reliable water supply in many rural areas of the basin. However, for most of the basin, few wells will have yields adequate to supply a large demand. Ground water from present wells will not provide an adequate supply for communities with a population of over a few thousand. Limited discharge data available for springs and large wells in the basin strongly suggest that the potential for ground water to supplement current supplies should not be ignored. Discharge from well fields and springs could be used to augment surface supplies during drought. A better understanding of the distribution and quality of ground-water resources is crucial for the citizens of the basin to fully benefit from ground water

Plenary Session: \u3cem\u3eWater Research Needs in Kentucky\u3c/em\u3e

Four panelists were invited to present their visions/predictions of current and future water research needs in Kentucky in an opening plenary session at the 2012 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium. The requested overall general focus was ground water research needs

Effects of Longwall Mining on Hydrogeology, Leslie County, Kentucky Part 1: Pre-Mining Conditions

An investigation of the hydrologic effects of longwall coal mining is in progress in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field. The study area is located in a first-order watershed in southern Leslie County over Shamrock Coal Company\u27s Beech Fork Mine (Edd Fork Basin on the Helton 7.5-minute quadrangle). Longwall panels approximately 700 feet wide are separated by three-entry gateways 200 feet wide. The mine is operating in the Fire Clay coal (Hazard No. 4); overburden thickness ranges from 300 to 1,000 feet. Mining in the watershed began in late summer 1993. Undermining of the instrumented panel (panel 7) is anticipated for summer 1994. This report documents pre-mining hydrogeologic conditions. Three sites over panel 7 (ridge-top, valley-side, and valley-bottom settings) were selected for intensive monitoring. An NX core hole was drilled at each site to provide stratigraphic control for well installation, to evaluate fractures, to conduct pressure-injection tests, and to provide a borehole for installation of time domain reflectometry cables. A rain gage and flume were installed in the basin in summer 1992. Twenty-four monitoring wells, completed in July 1992, provide water-level and water-quality data on individual stratigraphic zones represented by the three well locations. Interpretation of pre-mining conditions was used to develop a conceptual model of ground-water flow in the study basin. Three ground-water zones were identified on the basis of hydraulic properties. The shallow-fracture zone, a highly conductive region parallel to the ground surface, extends to a depth of 60 to 70 feet. The elevation-head zone includes the ridge interior, mostly above drainage, where total head consists of elevation head only. The pressure head zone, largely below drainage, is the region where total head is the sum of elevation head and pressure head. Two fresh-water geochemical facies are also present. Shallow ground water is a calcium-magnesium-bicarbonatesulfate type, whereas ground water in the deeper regional system is sodium-bicarbonate type. Anticipated effects from longwall mining include a decrease in water levels in the pressure-head zone. Temporary decreases are expected in the shallow-fracture zone as newly created void spaces subsequently fill. The elevation-head zone should not be greatly affected because it is predicted to be in the aquiclude zone

Supporting the Web: A Distributed Hyperlink Database System

In our last paper [Pitkow & Jones 1995], we presented an integrated scheme for an intelligent publishing environment that included a locally maintained hyperlink database. This paper takes our previous work full cycle by extending the scope of the hyperlink database to include the entire Web. While the notion of hyperlink databases has been around since the beginnings of hypertext, the Web provides the opportunity to experiment with the largest open distributed hypertext system. The addition of hyperlink databases to the Web infrastructure positively impacts several areas including: referential integrity, link maintenance, navigation and visualization. This paper presents an architecture and migration path for the deployment of a scalable hyperlink database server called Atlas. Atlas is designed to be scalable, autonomous, and weakly consistent. After introducing the concept and utility of link databases, this paper discusses the Atlas architecture and functionality. We conclude with a discussion of subscriber and publisher policies that exploit the underlying hyperlink infrastructure and intelligent publishing environments

Effects of Longwall Mining on Hydrogeology, Leslie County, Kentucky Part 3: Post-Mining Conditions

The effects of longwall coal mining on hydrology in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field have been investigated since 1991. The study area is in the Edd Fork watershed in southern Leslie County, over Shamrock Coal Company\u27s Beech Fork Mine. Longwall panels approximately 700 ft wide are separated by three-entry gateways that are approximately 200 ft wide. The mine is operated in the Fire Clay (Hazard No. 4) coal; overburden thickness ranges from 300 to 800 ft. Mining began in panel 1 in September 1991 and concluded with panel 8 in September 1994. Long-term monitoring consisting of a network of piezometers and time-domain reflectometry (TDR) cables previously installed over panel 7, in conjunction with a continuously recording rain gage and flume, began after the completion of mining. Two new core holes were drilled over panel 7 approximately 1 year after mining ceased in panel 8 to determine depth of collapse and hydraulic conductivity of strata. Water levels were measured in two new monitoring wells installed after mining to complement the 11 piezometers installed prior to mining that were still functioning. Precipitation was measured through July 1996, and streamflow was measured in Edd Fork on a monthly basis using a cross-section gaging method. Physical failure of piezometers, core drilling, and the movement of air into deeper piezometers after mining indicate that extensive fracturing occurred to a height of 450 ft above the mine, which is approximately 60 times the extracted coal-seam thickness. Hydraulic conductivity values determined from pressure-injection tests were 10 to 100 times greater after mining than before mining; many values were in the range of 10-2 to 10-4 ft/min for all lithologies. At a minimum, a zone of rock approximately 200 ft above the mined coal was dewatered beneath Edd Fork. Ground-water levels in ridgetop piezometers fluctuated slightly more after mining than they did before, which indicates that the upper part of the ridge is more hydraulically connected to surface recharge from precipitation since mining took place. The existence of ground water in the shallow ridgetop piezometers suggests that an underlying aquitard zone developed during mine collapse, which retards the downward movement of shallow ground water to the mined-out area. Water level declined in a sandstone unit approximately 300 ft above the mine after mining, but recovered within a year. This indicates that the underlying regional aquitard still retards downward ground-water movement, despite the hydraulic conductivity of the unit increasing 100 times after mining. Edd Fork, approximately 375 ft above the mine in panel 7, resumed surface flow 2 months after completion of mining; however, flow diminishes downstream at about the centerline of panel 8. Mining is still active in other areas of the mine, and mechanical dewatering activities will most likely keep water levels in the deep zones artificially depressed in the study area until mining is completed and dewatering activities cease

Effects of Longwall Mining on Hydrology, Leslie County, Kentucky Part 2: During-Mining Conditions

The effects of longwall coal mining on hydrology in the Eastern Kentucky Coal Field are being investigated. The study area is in the Edd Fork watershed in southern Leslie County, over Shamrock Coal Company\u27s Beech Fork Mine. Longwall panels approximately 700 ft wide are separated by three-entry gateways that are approximately 200 ft wide. The mine is operated in the Fire Clay (Hazard No. 4) coal; overburden thickness ranges from 300 to 800 ft. Mining began in panel 1 in September 1991 and concluded with panel 8 in September 1994. Long-term monitoring consisting of a network of piezometers and time-domain reflectometry (TDR) cables previously installed over panel 7, in conjunction with a continuously recording rain gage and flume, is continuing after the completion of mining. Mining in panel 5 affected water levels in three of 24 piezometers installed over panel 7; the level went down in one piezometer and rose in two. Mining in panel 6 affected 16 of 24 piezometers; the level went down in 11 piezometers and rose in five. Mining in panel 7 affected water levels in 20 of 24 piezometers. Different water-level responses were recorded as the mine approached and passed by the instrumental sites. Thirteen piezometers failed as a result of undermining. These piezometers penetrated the zone of deep fracturing that extends upward approximately 450 ft (or 60 times greater than the mined thickness) above the mine. Only one piezometer showed a net increase in water level as a result of mining. Mining-induced surface fractures, observed along roads in the watershed, were generally parallel to the slope of the land surface or mining direction and probably contributed to ground-water recharge. The surface stream was unaffected until it was undermined by panel 8; then the stream went dry. TDR cables in the Hazard coal zone were deformed as mining passed by on the adjacent panel. Water levels in piezometers in the Hazard coal zone declined at the same time. TDR cables broke completely twice. The deepest complete break was in the Hazard coal zone and occurred when the active mine face was approaching, but still approximately 1,000 ft away from, the affected cable in panel 7. This corresponds to an angle of influence of 60 to 70°. Rock broke in the shallow subsurface (less than 50 ft deep) when the cable was directly undermined. Water-level responses in piezometers adjacent to mining are related to the complex flow system, rather than a defined angle of hydrologic influence. Coal beds and other conductive strata transmit water-level responses as far away as 1,450 ft, whereas nonconductive strata transmit little water-level change at closer distances. The water-level responses observed in this study support existing subsidence models. Piezometers in the zone of intensive fracturing failed as a result of rock breakage. An aquiclude zone developed in the ridge. The integrity of strata and piezometers was generally maintained. The most variable effects were observed in the zone of surface fracturing, within 50 ft of the surface