Groundwater Quality Measurements Across Land Use Types in ACF River Basin

USGS National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program collected groundwater quality data at 161 sites in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin from August 1992 to September 1995. Measurements include nutrients, pesticides, major ions, trace elements, volatile organic compounds, radionuclides, and stable isotopes. Data are grouped by study component and site type, focusing on five major land uses.

Use Cases

• Analyze correlations between land use type (e.g., poultry production, urban Atlanta) and concentrations of specific constituents like pesticides or nutrients.
• Model spatial distribution of contaminants such as volatile organic compounds or trace elements across the 19,800 square mile basin using site location data.
• Compare groundwater quality metrics (e.g., major ions, organic carbon) between different site types including monitoring wells, domestic wells, springs, and subsurface drains.
• Assess temporal trends in parameters like turbidity or radionuclides over the three-year study period within specific project components like the Study Unit Survey.
• Evaluate hydrogeologic setting influence (clastic vs. karst) on measured constituents from the Agricultural flow system study.

Strengths

• Data collected at 161 distinct groundwater sites, providing spatial coverage.
• Measurements span multiple constituent groups including nutrients, pesticides, and major ions.
• Temporal coverage of over three years (1992-1995) for longitudinal analysis.
• Focus on five defined land uses allows for comparative studies.

Limitations

• Data collection ended in September 1995, making it temporally stale for current conditions.
• Sample size of 161 sites may be limited for high-resolution spatial modeling across the large basin.
• Trace element data was only collected as part of the Study Unit Survey and Urban Landuse studies, limiting completeness.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program.

Collection Method

Field measurements and laboratory analysis collected as part of three studies: Study Unit Survey, Land Use Studies (Urban and Agriculture), and Agricultural flow system study.

Time Range

1992-08 to 1995-09

Freshness

1995-09-01

Geography

Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River basin, covering approximately 19,800 square miles in western Georgia, eastern Alabama, and the Florida panhandle.