Arkansas Water Science Center
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Mississippi Embayment Regional Aquifer StudyBackgroundFresh ground water in the Mississippi embayment can be found in alternating formations of sand, silt and clay. The uppermost of these formations in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain is the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer (alluvial aquifer), which can provide well yields of 300 to 2,000 gallons per minute (gpm). The alluvial aquifer exists at land surface and covers much of the embayment area within the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. One of the next most widely used aquifers is the Sparta aquifer, which can provide well yields of 100 to 500 gpm (1,500 gpm in the Memphis area). The Sparta aquifer, in some areas, lies several hundred feet beneath land surface. Decades of pumping from the alluvial aquifer for irrigation and from the Sparta aquifer for industry and public-water supply have affected ground-water levels throughout the northern Mississippi embayment in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Purpose
As part of the USGS Ground-Water Resources Program, a ground-water flow model of the northern Mississippi embayment will be developed using data and knowledge gained from the Gulf Coast Regional Aquifer System Analysis (GCRASA) studies and other more recently completed USGS models to aid in answering questions about ground-water availability. The proposed study area covers portions of seven states including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, and Kentucky. The rectangular model grid will cover almost 158,000 square miles, while the active portion to be simulated will cover approximately 70,000 square miles.
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
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Page Last Modified: Thursday, 18-Oct-2007 14:47:06 CDT btj
