Reports
Network description and initial water-quality data from a statewide ground-water-quality network in Maryland
1996, Bolton, D.W.
Report of Investigations 60
Abstract
A statewide network of wells and springs was established to document ground-water-qua1ity conditions in unconfined (watertable) aquifers in Maryland. Forty-two wells and ten springs were sampled between 1987 and 1992 to document water-quality conditions and potential problems in Maryland's unconfined aquifers. The network also includes four wells in confined aquifers in areas where salt-water intrusion may pose a problem or where the unconfined aquifer is not an important source of ground water. Network sites include U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Maryland Geological Survey (MGS) water-level observation wells and project wells, private water wells, and springs. No new wells were drilled specifically for the network. The network was not designed to provide a statistically valid assessment of water quality in the unconfined aquifers, but rather to identify potential water-quality problems in these aquifers, and to provide a basis for future water-quality monitoring. Sites were sampled in all of Maryland's physiographic provinces (Appalachian Plateau, Valley and Ridge, Blue Ridge, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain). All sites were tested for major ions, nutrients, trace elements, and field parameters. Most sites were also sampled for radon, pesticides (incl uding chlorophenoxy herbicides, organochlorine and organophosphorus insecticides, and triazine herbicides), and volatile organic compounds. Additional samples were taken from several sites to in vestigate seasonal changes in major-ion chemistry.
