RedN NAWQA
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Red River of the North Basin
National Water-Quality Assessment Program
Strobel, M.L., Kelly, J.B., Carlson, S.T., and Salender, H.A., 1994, Flowing
Wells in Northeastern North Dakota and their Possible Effect on Water
Quality in the Red River of the North Basin: North Dakota Water Quality
Symposium Proceedings, 1994, Fargo, N.D., p. 247-255.
Abstract
Flowing wells occur throughout eastern Grand Forks and Walsh Counties in
northeastern North Dakota. The effect of the saline ground-water discharge
from these flowing wells on the water quality in the Red River of the North
Basin is unknown. Well inventories conducted in the late 1960's as part of
the county ground-water studies indicated there were 286 flowing wells in the
two counties. Of these flowing-well sites, 174 were visited and 43 flowing
wells were inventoried in 1992. An additional 15 flowing wells that were not
included in the county ground-water studies were located and inventoried in
1992. In 1993, 14 flowing well-sites were visited, and 4 more flowing wells
were located and inventoried. Of the 62 flowing wells inventoried, 54 had
unrestricted flow or leakage around the caps or values. Flow rates from these
wells ranged from slight seepage to 14 gal/min. Average specific conductance
of the discharged waters was about 8,000 microSemens/cm, but exceeded
20,000micoSemens/cm in one well. Flow from these wells can directly affect
the quality of water in streams, wetlands, and shallow ground-water adjacent
to these wells. Therefore, it is important to complete an
inventory of flowing wells and to consider the effects of flowing wells on
water quality before designing watershed management plans for the basin.
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey