Bob, We went right by where you were. A little ways down the road we parked and crossed a stream with a plank across it and into some old bogs.
Bone Dry II: The Sequel (No 1/4 Mile References)
- Thread starter RednekF350
- Start date
Bob, I am no Mark Demetrioff by any stretch but I do have some formal post secondary education in groundwater, geology and soils. Let me give you my two cents.
The groundwater tables in the pines fluctuate widely within any given year due to the natural rapid permeability of the Cohansey and Kirkwood formations. Both formations are primarily sands and dominate most of the Coastal plain in the South Jersey area. Heavy or extended periods of rainfall rapidly translate to rises in the groundwater table in our area.
These formations are very close to the surface making them more susceptible to overdrawing and contamination.
Fluctuations in the 4-6' range during the year are fairly normal.
In areas outside of the pines with slowly permeable soils, the fluctuations are not as rapid because the water cannot migrate vertically as rapidly through the soil column. Most municipal wells are in the Raritan formation at depths of 700' or more and that formation ios in trouble because it does not rapidly recharge.
In the pines, overdrawing the aquifers through an abundance of shallow wells in higher density developments is the biggest threat to reduced groundwater levels. My well is in the Cohansey and it's only 80' deep. If you have a large development with small lots and individual wells you can create a localized cone of depression in the groundwater table.
What we are seeing deeper in the big woods right now is just another very dry year and the levels are not near any historic lowpoints, as far as I know.
A few years ago we were in a more severe drought where we didn't have the heavy winter and spring precip. My older son worked for a welldriller during that period and they were drilling a lot of new wells for people who had simply run out of water with dug wells and with shallower cased wells.
Bob I believe the thoughts that you had about downward migration of detritus through the soil column and allowing more rapid permeability would not be valid. Most organics are trapped by soil particles in the first 10" of soil.
Dave, slowly permeable layers of soil such as clay layers or accumulations of ironstone or other mineralized layers are not "pushed" further down or broken through by groundwater movements.
I hope I have thoroughly muddled everyone's thoughts with my dissertation.
Scott
Bob, I am no Mark Demetrioff by any stretch but I do have some formal post secondary education in groundwater, geology and soils. Let me give you my two cents.
The groundwater tables in the pines fluctuate widely within any given year due to the natural rapid permeability of the Cohansey and Kirkwood formations. Both formations are primarily sands and dominate most of the Coastal plain in the South Jersey area. Heavy or extended periods of rainfall rapidly translate to rises in the groundwater table in our area.
These formations are very close to the surface making them more susceptible to overdrawing and contamination.
Fluctuations in the 4-6' range during the year are fairly normal.
In areas outside of the pines with slowly permeable soils, the fluctuations are not as rapid because the water cannot migrate vertically as rapidly through the soil column. Most municipal wells are in the Raritan formation at depths of 700' or more and that formation ios in trouble because it does not rapidly recharge.
In the pines, overdrawing the aquifers through an abundance of shallow wells in higher density developments is the biggest threat to reduced groundwater levels. My well is in the Cohansey and it's only 80' deep. If you have a large development with small lots and individual wells you can create a localized cone of depression in the groundwater table.
What we are seeing deeper in the big woods right now is just another very dry year and the levels are not near any historic lowpoints, as far as I know.
A few years ago we were in a more severe drought where we didn't have the heavy winter and spring precip. My older son worked for a welldriller during that period and they were drilling a lot of new wells for people who had simply run out of water with dug wells and with shallower cased wells.
Bob I believe the thoughts that you had about downward migration of detritus through the soil column and allowing more rapid permeability would not be valid. Most organics are trapped by soil particles in the first 10" of soil.
Dave, slowly permeable layers of soil such as clay layers or accumulations of ironstone or other mineralized layers are not "pushed" further down or broken through by groundwater movements.
I hope I have thoroughly muddled everyone's thoughts with my dissertation.
Scott
Thanks Scott. That was a good dissertation, and very interesting. I do remember how dry 2002 was. We went without appreciable rain through a winter, spring, and summer, and at summer's end it was getting a little scary. I remember how many times we had the threat of rain, but it just could not make it here at the last minute. It was like the earth was throwing up a dry guard or something (I wonder if that is some kind of natural phenomenon).
Sorry to disappoint you, but that was clear and spot-on! Nice. Good thing the grape juice didn't get to you before you wrote up your synopsis.
Sometimes I scare myself with fleeting moments of lucidity.
I only had two Lagunitas IPA's and a glass of store-bought Paisano last night when those thoughts spewed forth.
Maybe the problem is higher evaporation rates combined with no rain.
http://climate.rutgers.edu/stateclim_v1/images/nj_12month_temp_dep.JPG
http://climate.rutgers.edu/stateclim_v1/images/nj_12month_temp_dep.JPG