Potomac aquifer

RI78 Subsurface Geology of the Area Between Wrangle Hill and Delaware City, Delaware

The geology and hydrology of the area between Wrangle Hill and Delaware City, Delaware, have been the focus of numerous studies since the 1950s because of the importance of the local groundwater supply and the potential environmental impact of industrial activity. In this report, 490 boreholes from six decades of drilling provide dense coverage, allowing detailed characterization of the subsurface geologic framework that controls groundwater occurrence and flow.

Monitoring our water - Delaware Geological Survey improving groundwater monitoring efforts with new wells, sampling

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Delaware Geological Survey improving groundwater monitoring efforts with new wells, sampling. Scientists are digging for answers about the amount and quality of water available underground in central Delaware, where ongoing development will put increasing demands on water supplies in the coming decade.

The Delaware Geological Survey (DGS) is installing 7,700 feet of wells at eight sites in southern New Castle and northern Kent counties to improve groundwater-monitoring efforts, supported by a $600,000 grant from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water south of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, and populations there are projected to continue expanding.

Delaware Groundwater Monitoring Network

The Delaware Geological Survey (DGS) currently monitors groundwater levels in a network of wells in Delaware. Long, time-series of water levels in major aquifers serve as critical baseline data for resource management and analyses of aquifer response to pumping, climatic variability, drought hazards, seawater intrusion, and interaction with streams and their ecosystems.

DGS issues report on groundwater modeling in southern New Castle County

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The Delaware Geological Survey (DGS) released a new technical report entitled Simulation of Groundwater Flow in Southern New Castle County, Delaware, which was prepared by Changming He and A. Scott Andres of the DGS.

DGS Report of Investigations No. 77 is a preliminary step in developing a detailed understanding of the subsurface hydrology and evaluating groundwater availability in major aquifer systems beneath southern New Castle County and parts of northern Kent County, which are expected to have greater demands for groundwater in the next 20 years due to population growth.