Three Dimensional Mapping of Eau Claire County Aquifers

Color poster with text, images, charts, photographs, and Maps.Groundwater is an important resource in west-central Wisconsin, and knowledge of the quantity of available groundwater is important for the environmental and economic well-being of the region. In recent years, greater demands have been placed on the land and natural resources in Wisconsin, with a 600% increase in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) since 2000 and a 300% increase in silica sand mines since 2011. This project entails using groundwater well records in conjunction with spatially accurate well positions to define the three-dimensional extent of the aquifers in Eau Claire County with the intent to better quantify available groundwater resources. In collaboration with the Eau Claire County Department of Planning and Development and the Eau Claire City County Health Department, wells in the northwest portion of the county with digitized records have had positions manually corrected by moving them to DNR structure points in ArcGIS. Following corrected geolocation of wells, the project will begin analyzing rock and sediment descriptions from the corrected wells logs. Supplemental data include topographic maps and existing geologic maps and reports. These data will be used to produce refined geologic maps and cross-sections in collaboration with the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

A Case Study at Mud Lake : The Influence of Phosphorus Loading Through Lacustrine Groundwater Discharge on Eutrophication Events in a Stratified Flow-Through Lake in Western Wisconsin

Color poster with text, images, photographs, and graphs.Phosphorus (P)-laden runoff has been associated with lake eutrophication throughout the upper Midwest United States. Although P has been considered immobile in groundwater systems, an ongoing investigation at UW-Eau Claire suggests P is highly mobile and present in large quantities in the groundwater system. The potential impact of P in groundwater contributing to lake eutrophication has implications on land-use practice and healthy lake management. This study seeks to quantify P loading through groundwater discharge in Mud Lake in Barron County, WI.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

An Assessment of Nutrient Loading through Lacustrine Groundwater Discharge in Mud Lake, Wisconsin

Color poster with text, maps, charts, photographs, and graphs.Mud Lake experiences severe lake eutrophication throughout the summer months. Although anthropogenic nutrient sources have been identified as a contributing factor, an ongoing investigation at UW-Eau Claire has demonstrated that the regional bedrock geology may also be a source of phosphorus (P) to the hydrologic system. Furthermore, despite historic assumptions that P is immobile in groundwater systems, the study provides evidence that P is highly mobile in the subsurface. The objective of this study is to understand the mobility of P in groundwater and its impact on Mud Lake. This entails the collection of groundwater, surface water, and sediment samples at nine different sites around the perimeter of Mud Lake. At each location, hydraulic head measurements were collected inside and outside of each monitoring well to determine vertical gradients. Measured water quality parameters include temperature, pH, nitrate, specific conductivity, oxidation-reduction potential, and dissolved oxygen. After field collection, water samples underwent filtration with .45-micron filters and were preserved with nitric acid. A .20-micron filtering process was also conducted on groundwater samples to test for colloidal (0.20-0.45 micron) P transport. Preliminary results report an average P flux of 43.6 kg/day with groundwater P concentrations up to 790 ppb.UW System Water Research Fellowship; State of Wisconsin Groundwater Monitoring and Research Grant (UW System); University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

Surface and Groundwater Chemistry of Western WI : Establishing an Environmental Baseline

Color poster with text, maps, charts, photographs, and graphs.The expansion of silica sand mining and concentrated animal feeding operations in western WI over the past decade has generated concerns about potential contamination of surface water and groundwater systems. However, the baseline chemical characteristics of the regional hydrologic system have never been documented. This investigation represents the first comprehensive analysis of surface water and groundwater chemistry throughout western WI, an area that encompasses sampling sites in the northeastern upper Mississippi River watershed between Barron and Tomah. The dissolved metal content of surface water sites (n=54) and municipal groundwater wells (n=13) has been quantified with each site sampled multiple times over the past 4 years to evaluate temporal variations in water chemistry. Geochemical analysis of Paleozoic stratigraphy (n~50) constrains trace metal concentrations in regional aquifers. Initial results demonstrate that surface water and groundwater in the region is very clean, with virtually all trace metals well below EPA drinking waters standards. The single exception is phosphorous, which exceeds applicable standards in both surface water and groundwater and is an important component of regional lake eutrophication events. This environmental baseline is vital to the development of reasonable and responsible environmental safeguards that will facilitate economic growth and sustainable development while protecting water resources in western WI.State of Wisconsin Joint Solicitation for Groundwater Research and Monitoring; Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin; University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program