Progress Report on the Ground-water Hydrology of the Republican and Frenchman River Valleys, with a Section on the Chemical Quality of the Ground Water

Abstract

Abstract for first section This report is based on current investigations of the groundwater resources of the Republican and Frenchman River Valleys in Nebraska and includes data gathered to December 31, 1947. These studies vere started late in 1945 as a part of a program of groundwater investigations now in progress in connection with the Missouri River basin development plan. Studies to date have consisted principally of periodic observations of water table fluctuations at selected observation wells, of collection of samples of groundwater for chemical analysis, and of collection of data concerning the municipal water supplies in the valley. In addition to the data thus obtained, this report includes a brief description of the geology of the area based on earlier investigations, a map of the valleys showing the locations of observation wells and contours on the water table, a table of well records, and hydrographs of water level fluctuations in 10 observation wells with records extending back to 1934. A section on the chemieal quality of groundwater in the valley, prepared by the Quality of Water Division of the Geological Survey, and chemical analyses of samples of groundwater are also included. This report is preliminary in nature and is expected to be followed at a later date by a more comprehensive report. Introduction for second section In a careful appraisal of the groundwater resources of the Republican and Frenchman River Valleys in Bebraska, consideration must be given to the types of water present as established by chemical analysis. The degree of mineralization and the couposition of water 67 from selected irrigation, municipal, and observation wells in the valley should be known to determine the suitability of the groundwater for the uses intended. Furthermore, information concerning the present chemical character of the groundwater in both valleys will be a reference point for future quality of water studies in the valleys. Later studies will reveal any changes in mineral content of the groundwater as a result of irrigation developments