Red River of the North Basin
National Water-Quality Assessment Program
Stoner, J.D., Cowdery, T.K., and Puckett, L.J., 1998, Ground-water age
dating and other tools used to assess land-use effects on water quality:
U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 97-4150, 6 p.
Abstract
A relatively new method for age dating recent ground water along with other
investigative tool improve out understanding of land-use effects on the water
quality in a surficial aquifer and adjacent streams in the Red River of the
North Basin:
- Ground water commonly takes more than 20 years to reach depths in the
surficial aquifer where it is withdrawn for use.
- Water withdrawn from most drinking-water wells was recharged through land
areas greater than 1 mile upgradient.
- Because of these long travel times and distances, land-management
practices on the land and aquifer-protection strategies may take as much as 50
years to produce measurable improvement in water quality.
- The amount of fertilizer and some herbicides used to enhance crop growth
in this study area can be related to the distribution and trends of nitrate
and herbicides found in the surficial aquifer.
Reports | Study Unit Publications | Red River of
the North Basin, NAWQA | U.S. Geological Survey in
Minnesota | NAWQA Program
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