Water Cycle and Watersheds Mr. Brian Oram, PG Professional Geologist, PASEO, Licensed Well Driller Lab Director, Center for Environmental Quality Wilkes University GeoEnvironmental Sciences and Environmental Engineering Department Wilkes Barre, PA 18766 http://www.wilkes.edu http://www.water-research.net 11/10/2018

Center for Environmental Quality Non-profit/ equal opportunity employer, is operated and managed, within the GeoEnvironmental Sciences and Engineering Department Outreach Programs Environmental and Professional Education and Training Applied Research Community and Business Outreach Programs Website: http://www.water-research.net 11/10/2018

The Water Cycle 11/10/2018

Components of the Water Cycle First The Ins Solar Energy Input Precipitation Condensation Well Injection Irrigation The Outs Evaporation Transpiration Infiltration Percolation Runoff Groundwater Flow Surfacewater Flow Well Pumping 11/10/2018 water cycle

The Water Cycle Powered by the Sun- Solar Power 11/10/2018

Precipitation Types of Precipitation Natural Rain Snow Ice Hail Condensation/ Dew Man-Made Irrigation Wastewater Applications 11/10/2018

Interception Infiltration / Percolation Infiltration- Movement Water Into Soil Percolation - Water Movement Through the Soil Canopy Interception 11/10/2018

Evaporation / Transpiration Evapotranspiration Evaporation- Driven by Thermal Gradient and Moisture Difference Stomata 11/10/2018

Runoff / Overland Flow Uncontrolled Runoff Causes Erosion Low Infiltration Causes - Overland Flow- Loss Organic Material When Rainfall Rate Exceeds Infiltration Runoff is Generated 11/10/2018

Groundwater Zone of Saturation 11/10/2018

Primary Aquifers in PA 11/10/2018

Well Geology 11/10/2018

Groundwater Flow and Aquifers Unconfined Aquifer Confined Aquifer 11/10/2018

Surface Water & Groundwater They Are Related and Connected ! Local Water Divide 11/10/2018

Groundwater Moves - Slowly feet per year 11/10/2018

Induced Recharge or Artificial Discharge Artificial Recharge- Septic Systems Pumping Well - Artificial Discharge 11/10/2018

Right Now Your Sitting In a Watershed ! What is a Watershed? The simple definition It's the area of land that catches rain and snow and drains or seeps into a marsh, stream, river, lake or groundwater. Right Now Your Sitting In a Watershed ! They cross county, state, and national boundaries (This is the challenge !) 11/10/2018

Watershed Map 11/10/2018

Watershed View 11/10/2018

Non Point Source Pollution Non-point source (NPS) pollution, unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our underground sources of drinking water. 11/10/2018

Sources of Non-Point Pollution Excess fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential areas; Oil, grease, and toxic chemicals; Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding streambanks; Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, urban runoff and faulty septic systems; and Atmospheric deposition and hydromodification are also sources of non-point source pollution. We are Still the Largest Source of Oil Pollution to the Environment ! 11/10/2018

Sources of Pollution Causes of Contamination Improper Waste Disposal Improper Well Construction Poor Site Selection Wells Not Properly Abandoned Improper Waste Storage Lack of Information on Hazardous Sites or Activities (Partial Listing) 11/10/2018

Groundwater Moves 1. Which ways can groundwater move? a. Up b. Down c. Sideways d. All of the above 1. d. All of the above Although most movement is lateral (sideways), it can move straight up or down. Groundwater simply follows the path of least resistance by moving from higher pressure zones to lower pressure zones. 11/10/2018

Groundwater Moves 2. How is the speed of groundwater movement measured? a. Feet per day b. Feet per week c. Feet per month d. Feet per year 2. d. Feet per year Groundwater movement is usually measured in feet per year. This is why a pollutant that enters groundwater requires many years before it purifies itself or is carried to a monitored well. 11/10/2018

Groundwater Moves 3. How is stream flow usually measured? a. Feet per second b. Feet per minute c. Feet per hour d. Yards per hour 3. a. Feet per second Water flow in streams/rivers is measured in feet per second. 11/10/2018

Groundwater Moves 4. What determines how fast groundwater moves? a. Temperature b. Air pressure c. Depth of water table d. Size of materials 4. d. Size of materials Coarse materials like sand and gravel allow water to move rapidly. (They also form excellent aquifers because of their holding capacity.) In contrast, fine-grained materials, like clay or shale, are very difficult for water to move through. Thus, water moves very, very slowly in these materials. 11/10/2018

Groundwater Moves 5. Can the water table elevation change often? a. Yes b. No 5. a. Yes Water table elevations often fluctuate because of recharge and discharge variations. They generally peak in the winter and spring due to recharge from rains and snow melt. Throughout the summer the water table commonly declines due to evaporation, uptake by plants (transpiration), increased public use, industrial use, and crop, golf course and lawn irrigation. Elevations commonly reach their lowest point in early fall. 11/10/2018

Groundwater Moves 6. Does aquifer storage capacity vary? a. Yes b. No 6. a. Yes Just like the water level in rivers and streams, the amount of water in the groundwater supply can vary due to seasonal, weather, use and other factors. 11/10/2018

Water Cycle and Watersheds Mr. Brian Oram, PG Professional Geologist, PASEO, Licensed Well Driller Lab Director, Center for Environmental Quality Wilkes University GeoEnvironmental Sciences and Environmental Engineering Department Wilkes Barre, PA 18766 http://www.wilkes.edu http://www.water-research.net 11/10/2018