Abstract/Details

GROUNDWATER IN SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA

OSTERHOLM, MICHAEL THOMAS.   University of Minnesota ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  1980. 8109489.

Abstract (summary)

Water quality of 21 private wells in the karst area of southeastern Minnesota was studied from February 1977 to May 1979. The wells were located within a one-township area and were chosen for study following a questionnaire survey by type of construction and aquifer(s) in which they were completed. Eight wells were finished in the Galena aquifer (surface aquifer), three in the St. Peter aquifer, three in both the St. Peter and Shakopee-Oneota aquifers, six in the Shakopee-Oneota aquifer, and one in the Jordan aquifer. Thirteen routine and six runoff samples were collected from each well during the study and were examined for 18 biological, physical and chemical parameters.

The parameters measured in samples from wells in the Galena formation had the most variation with total coliform and nitrate nitrogen concentrations exceeding recommended limits for drinking water in 68 and 72 per cent of the samples, respectively. Generally, it was found the median routine concentrations of all parameters studied were lower than the median runoff concentrations. There was evidence that the chemical quality of the water in the deeper aquifers supposedly protected by a major aquiclude was affected rapidly by surface runoff.

The parameters found to be the best indicators of surface water contamination of the aquifers and therefore indicators of possible health effects as a result of consumption of such water were: Bacterial counts (total coliform, fecal coliform, fecal streptococci), nitrate nitrogen, turbidity, conductivity, sulfate, chloride, phosphate, total organic carbon, and sulfate/chloride and nitrate nitrogen/chloride ratios. No acute health effects possibly due to consumption of contaminated ground water were documented among those interviewed during the initial sanitary survey or among study participants during the actual study. However, no attempt was made to ascertain if any subacute health effects, due to water consumptions, occurred.

The results of this study indicate an urgent need to initiate a ground water monitoring program in southeastern Minnesota for purposes of determining the short and long-term trends in water quality.

Indexing (details)


Subject
Public health;
Energy;
Cartography
Classification
0573: Public health
0791: Energy
0370: Geographic information science
Identifier / keyword
Health and environmental sciences; Applied sciences; Earth sciences
Title
GROUNDWATER IN SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA
Author
OSTERHOLM, MICHAEL THOMAS
Number of pages
216
Degree date
1980
School code
0130
Source
DAI-B 41/11, Dissertation Abstracts International
Place of publication
Ann Arbor
Country of publication
United States
ISBN
979-8-204-23165-8
University/institution
University of Minnesota
University location
United States -- Minnesota
Degree
Ph.D.
Source type
Dissertation or Thesis
Language
English
Document type
Dissertation/Thesis
Dissertation/thesis number
8109489
ProQuest document ID
303024509
Copyright
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.
Document URL
https://www.proquest.com/docview/303024509