WRD of New Hampshire and Vermont

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey

Address:

New Hampshire/Vermont District

361 Commerce Way
Pembroke, NH 03275

Release 10/13/99

General Contact:

Debra Foster, dhfoster@usgs.gov

(603) 226-7837 (phone) or (603) 226-7894 (fax)

Editors note:

In-depth information about USGS, aquifers, ground water, and arsenic and water-quality projects in New Hampshire may be found on the New Hampshire/Vermont District web site at: http://nh.water.usgs.gov.

Earth Science Week

October 10-16, 1999

Water Resources in New Hampshire

How much, where, and how clean are water resources in New Hampshire are questions the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is working on statewide. During Earth Science Week, the USGS is providing updates on the following New Hampshire projects conducted in cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies:

Arsenic in Water Supplies from Bedrock Wells

The USGS recently completed a report describing the presence and distribution of arsenic in public drinking water supplies derived from bedrock wells. Arsenic concentrations were found to be related to bedrock types and also to major land-use groups such as agriculture, urban, and undeveloped. Currently (1999), there is no definite link to a possible source of the arsenic in water from these wells. Multiple, integrated studies are planned to help identity specific sources of arsenic and will involve the USGS, State agencies, and universities. Technical Contact: Joseph Ayotte (603) 226-7810.

Maps Identifying Potential locations of Ground Water in Bedrock are Now Available for Every Town in New Hampshire

The Earth gives clues and the USGS, in cooperation with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has used these clues to prepare a series of maps that can aid towns in the search for potential sources of ground water in fractured-bedrock aquifers.

The surface of the Earth is marked by straight-line patterns, called lineaments, that are visible from high above the earth's surface. These natural patterns are often the result of underlying fractures in rock.

Richard Moore, USGS hydrologist and co-author of the maps, said that major fractures in bedrock can yield moderate to large quantities of ground water. A knowledge of the location of fractures can be helpful to people searching for ground water in New Hampshire. "These maps show lineaments identified using high altitude and low altitude photographs and satellite images. The maps show locations that are potentially underlain by fractures," Moore said.

Copies of these bedrock lineament maps are now available in public libraries and the State university libraries and also can be obtained from the USGS at 361 Commerce Way, Pembroke, NH 03275 by calling the Public Information Coordinator at (603) 226-7837.

Technical Contact: Richard Moore (603) 226-7825.

Predicting Bacteria Levels in Hampton Bay to Manage Shellfish Harvesting

Despite recent improvements in the water quality of Hampton Bay through the installation of sewer systems, bacteria levels in the Bay still become excessive following rainfall. This results in frequent temporary closures of some of the State's most productive shellfish beds. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services is working with communities to reduce bacteria in the Bay after rainfall events so that the Bay can remain open to shellfish harvesting. The USGS, in cooperation with NHDES, will be developing a model to predict how bacteria levels in the Bay are affected by meteorological and other factors in different locations in the Bay. This study will ultimately lead to better management of the Bay's shellfish harvesting program. Technical contact: Keith Robinson (603) 226-7809.

New Methods of Ground Water Remediation in Bedrock Aquifers Researched

Bedrock aquifers are relied upon as drinking water supplies in many areas of New Hampshire. Once contaminated, cleanup of such aquifers is often difficult because ground-water flow in fractured rock is poorly understood and there is a lack of appropriate cleanup methods. A collaborative study between the USGS, the University of New Hampshire (UNH), and the USEPA is being undertaken to look at the use of naturally occurring micro-organisms (called bioremediation) to cleanup contaminated zones within the bedrock aquifer beneath Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth. USGS scientists will work with the Bedrock Bioremediation Center at UNH to describe the migration patterns of the contaminated ground water (called a plume) in order to understand how the ground water flows through fractured bedrock. UNH researchers will focus on the microbial processes that degrade or breakdown the contaminants.

As the Nation's civilian mapping agency, the USGS works in cooperation with more than 2,000 organizations across the country to provide reliable, impartial, scientific information to resource managers, planners, and other customers. Impartial information is gathered in every state by USGS scientists to minimize the loss of life and property from natural disasters, contribute to the sound conservation, economic and physical development of the nation's natural resources, and enhance the quality of life by monitoring water, biological, energy, and mineral resources.

* * * USGS * * *

This press release and in-depth information about USGS programs may be found on the USGS homepage: http://www.usgs.gov. To receive the latest USGS news releases automatically by email, send a request to listproc@listserver.usgs.gov. Specify the listserver(s) of interest from the following names: geologic-pr; water-pr; geologic-hazards-pr; biological-pr; mapping-pr; products-pr; lecture-pr. In the body of the message write: subscribe (name of listserver) (your name). Example: subscribe water-pr joe smith.