Yorktown-Eastover aquifer system: our sole source

6 thoughts on “Yorktown-Eastover aquifer system: our sole source”

1. It is interesting on 26 May 2019 to come back to this article on the aquifers dated 13 September 2015, over three years ago now, and to then compare it to all the articles on the water situation on the Eastern Shore that have appeared in the Cape Charles Mirror since then, to include “Citizens send letter to DEQ Voicing Groundwater Concerns” on 4 November 2018 http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/news/citizens-send-letter-to-deq-voicing-groundwater-concerns/ and “Letter: Dufty destroys Groundwater Chairman John Coker” on 21 April 2019, wherein was stated “I asked the poultry giant (Tyson) to ‘draw a line in the sand’ and announce that there will be no more industrial broiler operations allowed in Accomack County, as it appears saturation of these facilities has been achieved.”

   And going back in time to before there was a CCM, there was an article in the Cape Charles Wave entitled “Don’t Like Town Water? It Could Get Worse” by Dorie Southern on July 21, 2014, which spelled out the situation on the Eastern Shore that exists to this day, as follows:

   There’s a limited supply of groundwater in the Cape Charles vicinity, and the town needs to prepare to deal with saltwater intrusion now.

   That’s according to Elaine Meil of the Accomack-Northampton County Planning District Commission, who addressed the Cape Charles Planning Commission June 30.

   end quotes

   That was almost five years ago now, and one has to wonder to wonder from all that has gone on since whether that message ever came through or not.

   Getting back to that Wave article, it continued as follows:

   According to groundwater modeling done by the United States Geological Survey, “saltwater intrusion can be expected in town wells over time and the town should be aware of this problem,” Meil said, adding that: Groundwater studies have shown limited groundwater in the Cape Charles vicinity.

   This is a natural feature of the area.

   The Eastern Shore of Virginia Ground Water Committee works extensively on groundwater issues and they have funded the USGS to develop a groundwater model.

   This model is the best source of information regarding changes to groundwater in the Cape Charles area.

   end quotes

   So, if that ground water model is the best source of information regarding changes to groundwater, a natural question arises as to why there seems to be so much confusion as to the subject of groundwater on the Eastern Shore today.

   Reply

2. And going back to that CCM article “Letter: Dufty destroys Groundwater Chairman John Coker” on 21 April 2019 http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/news/letter-dufty-destroys-groundwater-chairman-john-coker/ where Mr. Dufty was quoted with respect to the issue of citizens being able to address the water board crowd as saying “The first one was a request/petition to allow a two minute public comment period at the end of each GWC meeting,” a request that was dismissed with Chairman Coker’s statement that he “gave us a public comment period at the beginning of the meeting, and now you want one at the end,” we really need to go back to an earlier CCM article entitled “Letter: I almost moved there, but thank God I didn’t!’ on 1 November 2015, where we had as follows http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/news/letter-i-almost-moved-there-but-thank-god-i-didnt/ :

   Dear Board of Supervisors of Northampton County, Virginia

   And as I follow this re-zoning fiasco, I am reminded of your County’s Mission Statementhttp://www.co.northampton.va.us/gov/administrator.html, wherein is succinctly stated as follows:

   The mission of Northampton County Local Government is to provide the necessary services to protect the health, safety, welfare, environment, and quality of life of our citizens consistent with the communities’ values and priorities.

   This mission is accomplished by encouraging citizen involvement, preserving the County’s fiscal stability, traditional values and unity of our people through the implementation of effective and efficient government programs; consensus building; managing the County’s natural, cultural, and historic resources; planning for the future; and representing citizen needs and desires to other levels of government.

   I think as you people read that over in the light of the conduct of this re-zoning fiasco, which is being watched by the candid world as they follow this train of abuses, you will see, as do I and the candid world, that your Mission Statement on your county website is false advertising.

   You say the mission of Northampton County Local Government is to provide the necessary services to protect the health, safety, welfare, environment, and quality of life of your citizens consistent with the communities’ values and priorities, which, of course, would be the values and priorities of the actual people who live there, as opposed to New Jersey land developers or out-of-state industrial chicken-growing operations, and you say this mission is accomplished by encouraging citizen involvement, and preserving the County’s traditional values, which again would be the values of those who actually live there, as opposed to New Jersey, preserving the unity of your people through the implementation of effective and efficient government programs and consensus building, and representing citizen needs and desires, as opposed to those New Jersey land developers or Delaware industrial chicken-growing operators, to other levels of government, but a look at ATTACHMENT B, the SWOT REVIEW of your 5 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN 2014 – 2018 Adopted by the Board of Supervisors on April 8, 2014 with Updated Status Reports as of 1/23/2015 – Katie H. Nunez, County Administrator and With Modifications as made by the Board on February 23, 2015, as part of the initial Board of Supervisors retreat on March 10, 2012, the Board of Supervisors and the Department Heads identified as Threats to the County the very people whose values you falsely say you are preserving, to wit:

   * “No Growth Crowd” – perception of the county; few landowners for the majority of the land

   * Perception of “not business friendly”

   * Retirees/groups who don’t want change

   * Well-organized special interest groups

   * Impacts of belief that county is not business friendly; county has excessive regulations, etc.

   end quotes

   By labeling your own citizens as a ‘No Growth Crowd,’ and by singling out retirees/groups who supposedly don’t want change as ‘threats’ to your plans to re-zone your county to open it up to out-of-state business interests who want a place to put their businesses where regulations to protect the health, safety, welfare, environment, and quality of life of the citizens who already live there consistent with the existing communities’ values and priorities ARE IGNORED, you clearly are not trying to build consensus, nor are you encouraging citizen involvement.

   Quite to the contrary, and contrary to the Virginia General Assembly recognizing that the system of representative government in Virginia is dependent in part upon citizen legislative members such as yourselves representing fully the public in the legislative process, which you clearly aren’t if you label those same members of the public as threats, and the citizens of Northampton County maintaining the highest trust in their public officers and employees, which they obviously can’t, since you have rendered them into second-class citizens with your proclamation to the candid world that they are “threats,” you certainly appear to the candid world to be using your public positions to retaliate or threaten to retaliate against these same persons you have branded as “threats” for expressing their views on matters of public concern or for exercising any right that is otherwise protected by law in connection with this re-zoning.

   Thus, it seems to me that to be truthful with the candid world who like me, reads your County Mission Statement, that you should change its wording to reflect those facts, that in Northampton County, Virginia, not all are equal.

   en d quotes

   Alpha and Omega, people -how things begin is how things end.

   When your own elected and appointed officials have nothing but contempt for certain segments of the citizen body, is it a surprise that they are treated with contempt?

   Reply

3. Yes, indeed, quite a curious situation down here, where politics and policy on the one hand, and science on the other seem to be having a head-on collision with respect to the groundwater issues on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and it is indeed politics, as John Coker, the head of the Eastern Shore Groundwater Committee is also the District 1 Supervisor on the Northampton County Board of Supervisors.

   And as to policy with respect to Tyson, it must be noted that the Commonwealth of Virginia has taken a stake in Tyson’s future, perhaps over that of the residents of the Eastern Shore, by awarding Tyson a subsidy, as follows:

   Subsidy Tracker Individual Entry

   Company: Tyson Farms, Inc.

   Parent Company: Tyson Foods

   Subsidy Source: state

   Location: Virginia

   Year: 2010

   Major Industry of Parent: food products

   Specific Industry of Parent: poultry processing and meatpacking

   Subsidy Value: $135,000

   Program Name: Virginia Jobs Investment Program

   Awarding Agency: Department of Business Assistance

   Type of Subsidy: training reimbursement

   Number of Jobs or Training Slots: 225

   Source of Data: Direct from agency; not on web

   end quotes

   Having taken an investment in Tyson, what effect has that had subsequently on how the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Eastern Shore Groundwater Committee treat Tyson’s use of the groundwater on the Eastern Shore?

   When Chairman Coker limits the voices of concerned citizens to mere minutes to voice their concerns, on whose behalf is he doing that?

   And why has the Eastern Shore groundwater Committee opted to have as their groundwater consultant and employee of Malcolm Pirnie?

   Whose side of this issue are they on?

   And what policy are they helping to enforce on the citizens of the Eastern Shore of Virginia concerned about their groundwater?

   Reply

4. Water politics, people!

   Thanks to the Cape Charles Mirror, we are getting a very rare glimpse of what water politics looks like in real life with this Eastern Shore Water Board and John Coker, who was featured in a Cape Charles Mirror article http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/news/john-coker-to-run-for-district-1-supervisor/ on 10 September 2017 as saying he looks forward to working hard to supporting the many businesses in Cape Charles and the County to help them to grow and become more and more successful and he also intends to make himself accessible and available to assist any new businesses interested in starting up in our towns and/or county, which would directly impact on his role as Chairman of the Eastern Shore Water Board, which is one of the most powerful political positions on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and this all reminds me of that 1974 American neo-noir mystery film “Chinatown,” directed by Roman Polanski from a screenplay by Robert Towne, starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, a film that was inspired by the California Water Wars, a series of disputes over southern California water at the beginning of the 20th century, by which Los Angeles interests secured water rights in the Owens Valley.

   As to the California water wars, they were a series of political conflicts between the city of Los Angeles and farmers and ranchers in the Owens Valley of Eastern California over water rights.

   As Los Angeles expanded during the late 19th century, it began outgrowing its water supply.

   Fred Eaton, mayor of Los Angeles, realized that water could flow from Owens Valley to Los Angeles via an aqueduct.

   The aqueduct construction was overseen by William Mulholland and was finished in 1913.

   The water rights were acquired through political fighting and, as described by one author, “chicanery, subterfuge … and a strategy of lies”.

   end quotes

   And there, like here, they are talking real life, not something in a movie!

   As to Water politics, sometimes called hydropolitics, it is politics, like here on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, affected by the availability of water and water resources, a necessity for all life forms and human development.

   And believe me, speaking as an engineer who is not at all naive as to how the game of water politics is played in real life, as was the case back when in Los Angeles, where water rights were acquired through political fighting and, as described by one author, “chicanery, subterfuge, and a strategy of lies,” in that game, “science” becomes very much a prostitute to politics and policy, which brings us to Malcolm Pirnie Engineering and political contributions.

   In an article entitled “Stacks of PAC filings don’t tell all” in The Birmingham News by Thomas Spencer, News Staff Writer, on March 21, 2010, updated September 13, 2010, we were told as follows:

   In late January, a blizzard of white paper descended on the Alabama secretary of state’s office and the Jefferson County courthouse.

   Buried in paperwork from political action committees and candidates active in Birmingham’s 2009 elections are previously hidden clues to which companies and individuals bankrolled candidates for the City Council, school board and mayor.

   Because these disclosures, in many cases, come months after the elections concluded, they receive little scrutiny.

   For example, in January, the PAC operated by members of the law firm Waldrep, Stewart & Kendrick filed its annual report disclosing that it contributed a total of $83,300 in 2009.

   That was WSK PACs first report since January 2009.

   That doesn’t capture all of the giving by the Waldrep firm or its principals.

   Scattered among reports from other PACs are $14,000 in donations by the firm and its lawyers.

   Donations by Waldrep, Stewart & Kendrick often flowed together with donations from the engineering firm Malcolm Pirnie and the communications firm Elements.

   All three are principal outside contractors for the Birmingham Water Works Board.

   Malcolm Pirnie and individuals with the firm put a total of $26,500 into PACs into which Waldrep money also went.

   CA PAC donated to the campaigns of Councilors Steven Hoyt, Jonathan Austin, Carole Smitherman and Jay Roberson and to school board members April Williams, Phyllis Wyne, Virginia Volker and W.J. Maye.

   Waldrep, Kendrick & Stewart also represents the Birmingham Board of Education.

   CA PAC, WSK PAC and Malcolm Pirnie also pooled money in Vision PAC, which provided more than half of City Council President Roderick Royal’s campaign funds.

   Money from Malcolm Pirnie and Waldrep also flowed into PACs that gave to William Bell, who won the mayoral race.

   end quote

   So, Malcolm Pirnie plays politics!

   WOW!

   A big surprise?

   Not hardly, people.

   So, when they give advice to the Eastern Shore Water Board concerning the groundwater situation on the Eastern Shore, on whose behalf is that advice being given?

   Or doesn’t it make a difference?

   Reply

5. So, what are these “paleochannels” we keep hearing about here on the East Shore of Virginia, and why do they matter to anybody, especially with this SWIFT project coming along which is going to be the East Shore’s GREAT SAVIOR?

   According to the Eastern Shore of Virginia Groundwater Committee in 2016 http://www.a-npdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Paleochannels-1.pdf, and this is important to know with regard to this SWIFT project, which is only now getting up and running in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, fresh groundwater on the Eastern Shore of Virginia occurs as a lens that “floats” overtop denser saltwater in a manner similar to less dense ice floating on top of water (see Ghyben-Herzberg relation for reference).

   Now, consider that the SWIFT project intends to pressurize the aquifers with treat sewage pumped under high pressure down into the aquifer to supposedly balance out what is being drawn up to the surface by wells.

   Given that pressurization, it is important to know where that pressurized recharge water is actually going to end up going, which is why it is important to understand the paleochannels, which is nothing more than a big word for ancient river mouths that flowed through the area of the Delmarva Peninsula many, many years ago.

   Getting back to what the ESVGC tells us:

   The lens is replenished by direct precipitation that falls on the Shore, infiltrates the soil and reaches the Columbia aquifer, the uppermost fresh groundwater body.

   The USGS estimated that about 12% of the precipitation falling on the Shore reaches the Columbia
   aquifer, or about 625 million gallons per day (MGD) on average in a normal year.

   Clays restrict water movement to the underlying Yorktown aquifers, the principal source of water on the Eastern Shore, and the USGS estimates only about 0.1% (about 9 MGD on average) of the precipitation falling on the Shore replenishes the Yorktown aquifers.

   In certain areas of the Shore, the clay that restricts downward movement of water is largely absent, and the rate that groundwater replenishes the Yorktown-Eastover aquifer may be substantially greater in these areas.

   The consequence is that there may be more sustainable groundwater in these areas than other
   portions of the Shore.

   However, there is poor understanding concerning the extent and function of these features on the Shore’s groundwater resources.

   end quotes

   And let us stop right there and pay some attention to that last sentence above about how in 2016 there is poor understanding concerning the extent and function of these features on the Shore’s groundwater resources, and that takes us back to my earlier statement about how in the game of water politics, “science” becomes very much a prostitute to politics and policy.

   And it does that when you have these “consultants” coming along making definitive statements when there is no real scientific data to back them up, just WAGS, or wild***** guesses, that fly right past the citizen body because the citizen body does not generally have the time to research these things, or because the Water Board crowd limits the input citizens can have to challenge these WAGS, which takes us back to the ESVGC technical paper on paleochannels as follows:

   These preferential pathways for groundwater recharge were formed from old river channels
   (paleochannels) believed to be associated with the ancestral Susquehanna-Potomac River.

   end quotes

   According to the USGS, the Chesapeake Bay is the drowned, ancestral valley of the Susquehanna River.

   About 18,000 years ago, the Susquehanna riverbed extended beyond present Cape Henry and Cape Charles and continued to the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean, at that time at the edge of the continental shelf.

   During the last glaciation, ice sheets covered most of Canada and extended southward into the Midwestern United States and eastward into northern New Jersey and along Long Island.

   Water, once contained in the ocean basins, fell as snow onto the continents, where it was stored as glacier ice.

   Worldwide sea level fell as glaciers expanded.

   At the full extent of the last glaciation, sea level was approximately 100 meters (328 feet) lower than at present, and as a result continental shelves were exposed throughout the world.

   At the end of the last glacial epoch, sea level rose relatively rapidly as continental glaciers melted.

   By 15,000 years ago, the outer continental shelves had been submerged, and by 10,000 years ago, the main channel of the ancient Susquehanna River valley was flooded and became a narrow estuary.

   Between 6,000 and 7,000 years ago, the rate of submergence began to slow, and the Chesapeake Bay took on its characteristic “drowned river valley” shoreline pattern.

   end quotes

   And with that geological history as a backdrop, back we go for further detail to John Coker and the ESVGC as follows:

   In the past, when ocean levels were lower, the ancestral Susquehanna River cut across what is now the Eastern Shore of Virginia, incising a river channel in marine clays that now form the Yorktown-Eastover confining unit.

   Sands and gravels were deposited in the base of the channels with alternating sands and clays filling in the channel as the ocean levels rose.

   As ocean levels lowered and rose again the sequence of paleochannels eroding into the marine sediments followed by an aggrading Eastern Shore peninsula continued.

   end quotes

   For those unfamiliar with the term, aggradation (or alluviation) is the term used in geology for the increase in land elevation, typically in a river system, due to the deposition of sediment.

   Aggradation occurs in areas in which the supply of sediment is greater than the amount of material that the system is able to transport.

   Getting back to Mr. Coker here:

   Three paleochannels shown on the adjacent figure were formed in this sequence, with the Exmore Paloechannel formed first, followed by a rising ocean that resulted in the peninsula extending further to the south.

   The next lower ocean stand resulted in formation of the Belle Haven Paleochannel, and after another ocean level rise and fall the Eastville Paleochannel.

   A fourth paleochannel, the Cape Charles Paleochannel formed more recently but is located off the southern end of the Eastern Shore and does not influence movement of groundwater.

   end quotes

   And that historical background brings us to what is important to understand today with respect to various claims being made by “consultants” concerning groundwater on the Eastern Shore, to wit:

   Eastville Paleochannel:

   Only the Eastville Paleochannel has documented research on its extent and distribution as reported in the USGS Professional Paper 1067G (Mixon 1985).

   The general sediment distribution in this paleochannel is a basal sand and gravel with finer grained sediments deposited over the sand and gravel as the sea level rose.

   There are few borings completed in the Eastville Paleochannel and the extent that the sediments are uniformly distributed as depicted in the cross-section is uncertain.

   It is likely that the sand and gravel provides a complete connection between the unconfined Columbia aquifer and the underlying confined Yorktown-Eastover aquifers.

   However, there are no hydraulic studies to verify this interconnection.

   While the general location of the Exmore Paleochannel has been delineated, depth and composition of this ancestral river channel has not been established.

   Even less is known on the Belle Haven Paleochannel, with much of the information obtained from studies conducted off-shore in the Bay and ocean.

   end quotes

   Now, that was in 2016, three years ago, that there was not much scientific information available about the complex groundwater flow system underlying Accomack and Northampton counties on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

   So when you hear consultants to John Coker, who as Chairman has to know this same stuff I am quoting from cold, making definitive statements about groundwater flow on the Eastern Shore, and you see John Coker bobbing his head in agreement, the question you have to ask yourselves is where is the scientific basis for those definitive statements, or are they simply pulling them from out of their ***** for political reasons?

   With respect to what is known, versus what is not yet known, we again go back to the ESVGC report as follows:

   Eastern Shore of Virginia Groundwater Model:

   The USGS developed a groundwater model for the Eastern Shore of Virginia, as documented in the USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5066 (Sanford, et.al., 2009).

   This model was based on an earlier USGS model developed by Richardson (USGS WSP 2401, 1994).

   In this model the paleochannels were not explicitly defined, rather two (Exmore and Eastville) were assigned values that were thought appropriate for the structures.

   The Belle Haven Paleochannel is excluded from the model.

   As noted in the report “The exact spatial configuration of these channels is not known”.

   Also noted in the report: “there are too few water-level observation data in the paleochannels to estimate the values of hydraulic conductivity for the channel”, and the channels were “assigned” values.

   As a consequence, there is scant information in support for the model correctly simulating flow within and through the paleochannels.

   As illustrated on the adjacent graphic the sediments in the Exmore Paleochannel are far more complex and likely far more permeable than represented in the current model.

   end quotes

   And again, given that what I am quoting from here comes to us directly from the groundwater committee that John Coker, the egg-timer man, it is not conceivable that he does not already know these things, so why the game playing then when citizens try to confront his with this same lack of data?

   To conclude:

   Recommendations:

   The current groundwater model used to maintain sustainable use of the groundwater resource does not adequately represent influence of paleochannels that comprise almost 1/3 of the area on the Shore.

   1) Additional research on hydraulic properties within the paleochannels must be completed.

   This research can be completed in concert with research currently conducted by DEQ in the Coastal Plain system west of the Bay.

   2) A major revision to the Eastern Shore Groundwater Model must be completed and the model calibrated within the paleochannels.

   The DEQ is in the process of major revisions to the Coastal Plain model and revisions to the Eastern Shore Model should be included.

   end quotes

   And according to the ESVGC in 2016, that is where matters stood then.

   So what has transpired since?

   Does John Coker have a clue?

   If so, why the egg-timer?

   Reply

6. And before we go further with the SWIFT project, which is still in the experimental stages, let’s go back to the 2016 Eastern Shore of Virginia Groundwater Committee publication on Paleochannels where we had as follows:

   Eastern Shore of Virginia Groundwater Model:

   The USGS developed a groundwater model for the Eastern Shore of Virginia, as documented in the USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2009-5066 (Sanford, et.al., 2009).

   This model was based on an earlier USGS model developed by Richardson (USGS WSP 2401, 1994).

   end quotes

   Now, to a scientist, this information is important, because it shows how current thinking on the groundwater regime under the Eastern Shore has developed over time, and in this case, as the ESVGC made clear in 2016, that all began with “Hydrogeology and Analysis of the Ground-Water-Flow System of the Eastern Shore, Virginia” by Donna L. Richardson prepared in cooperation with Accomack County, Northampton County, and the Virginia Water Control Board, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 2401.

   Of relevance to this discussion is as follows:

   Hydrogeology and Analysis of the Ground-Water-Flow System of the Eastern Shore, Virginia

   By Donna L. Richardson

   Abstract

   This report presents the results of a study of the hydrogeology and ground-water-flow system of the Eastern Shore in Virginia by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with Accomack County, Northampton County, and the Virginia Water Control Board.

   end quotes

   So, a question arises here, people – If the Richardson study was done in cooperation with Accomack County and Northampton County, are they free to blow off the Richardson study today as inconsequential or irrelevant?

   Getting back to the Richardson study abstract, we have:

   The Eastern Shore of Virginia is a peninsula that includes Accomack and Northampton Counties and is the easternmost part of Virginia’s Coastal Plain physiographic province.

   end quotes

   For those of you unfamiliar with the technical term “physiographic province,” what it simply means is a geographic region with a characteristic geomorphology, and often specific subsurface rock type or structural elements.

   As to geomorphology, it means the physical features of the surface of the earth and their relation to its geological structures, and it is also the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features created by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near the Earth’s surface.

   Geomorphologists seek to understand why landscapes look the way they do, to understand landform history and dynamics and to predict changes through a combination of field observations, physical experiments and numerical modeling.

   Getting back to Richardson:

   Ground water provides the sole freshwater supply to the Eastern Shore.

   Water demands from increased industrial, commercial, municipal, and agricultural growth have caused water-level declines and concern about the future of the ground-water resource.

   end quotes

   Now, consider, people, that those words of caution about water-level declines were written twenty-five (25) years ago in 1994, which is an illustration of just how long knowledge of the groundwater problems on the Eastern Shore have existed, which is something that needs to be factored in to discussion on all these industrial chicken operations in Accomack County and the water the state is allowing them to withdraw.

   Getting back to Richardson:

   Detailed hydrogeologic information was collected and incorporated into the groundwater-flow model.

   The data were used to develop an understanding of the way ground water enters, moves through, and leaves the multiaquifer system.

   A hydrogeologic framework of the aquifers and confining units containing potable ground water was developed from geophysical and lithologic information.

   end quotes

   As to “lithologic,” it simply means the character of a rock formation, while geophysics is a branch of earth science dealing with the physical processes and phenomena occurring especially in the earth and in its vicinity.

   Getting back to Richardson:

   The hydrogeologic framework consists of an unconfined aquifer (Columbia aquifer) and three confined aquifers (upper, middle, and lower Yorktown-Eastover aquifers) separated by intervening confining units (upper, middle, and lower Yorktown-Eastover confining units).

   The ability of the aquifer and confining-unit sediments to transmit, store, and release water was defined by estimating values for transmissivity, vertical leakance, and storage.

   end quotes

   And focus in on that word “estimating” as in “estimating values for transmissivity, vertical leakance, and storage.”

   The Richardson study was a beginning, not an end-all, be-all.

   To a scientist, that means that one would begin there, and add data to keep clarifying and improving the model, replacing estimates with more exact data as time goes on.

   And what about “vertical leakance?”

   Is that some kind of typographic error, or what?

   And no, it is not a typo.

   According to the USGS, vertical leakance controls the vertical flow of ground water through confining units.

   It defines the degree of hydraulic connection between aquifers and is dependent on the physical properties of the sediment that makes up the confining unit.

   Vertical leakance is defined as the average vertical hydraulic conductivity of the confining unit sediment divided by its thickness.

   Skipping over some technical information, we then come to the INTRODUCTION of the Richardson study, as follows:

   The Eastern Shore of Virginia includes Accomack and Northampton Counties and is the easternmost part of Virginia’s Coastal Plain physiographic province.

   The Eastern Shore is a peninsula surrounded on three sides by salty water and has no major fresh surface-water sources; therefore, ground water provides the sole freshwater supply.

   Fresh ground water is present in a layered system of aquifers consisting of sand, gravel, and shell material separated by confining units of silt and clay.

   The fresh ground water is limited to approximately the first 300 ft below land surface; the water at depths greater than 300 ft is salty (greater than 250 milligrams per liter (mg/L) chloride concentration).

   Beginning about 1965, increases in withdrawals for agricultural, commercial, and industrial uses
   have caused water-level declines and created conelike depressions in the water-level surface around major pumping centers.

   end quotes

   And again, people, take note of that date – 1965, which is fifty-four (54) years ago now, which is how long this groundwater problem on the Eastern Shore has been known about.

   Getting back to Richardson:

   In November 1976 the Eastern Shore was declared a Ground-Water Management Area by the Virginia Water Control Board (VWCB).

   Under the management-area designation, a permit is required for ground-water users that withdraw more than 300,000 gallons per month (gal/month).

   Increased water needs due to intensifying agricultural, industrial, commercial, and urban development could adversely affect the supply of fresh ground-water on the Eastern Shore.

   Potential problems are (1) declining water levels, (2) decreased freshwater discharge to nearshore estuaries, (3) intrusion of salty water into freshwater parts of aquifers, and (4) contamination of potable water by the migration of pesticides and nitrates.

   A thorough knowledge of the ground-water-flow system is needed to enable planners to minimize the detrimental effects that would result from increased use of the resource.

   In 1986 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the VWCB and the counties of Accomack and Northampton, began a comprehensive study of the ground-water resources of the
   Eastern Shore of Virginia.

   end quotes

   And with that, I will pause for the moment to let all of that sink in.

   Reply