Core from Lake Wheeler Site 2 A’ Seven research sites are proposed for hydrologic investigation Map Number of Proposed Study Sites 1)Bent Creek Research Forest in Buncombe County 2)NCSU Mountain Horticultural Research Station in Henderson County 3)Indian Creek Basin in Lincoln County 4)Langtree Peninsula at Lake Norman in Iredell County 5)Morrow Mountain in Stanly County 6)NCSU Upper Piedmont Research Station in Rockingham County 7)NCSU Lake Wheeler Field Research Laboratory in Wake County CHARACTERIZATION OF PIEDMONT AND BLUE RIDGE FRACTURED BEDROCK GROUND-WATER SYSTEMS IN NORTH CAROLINA -- A FEDERAL AND STATE COOPERATIVE STUDY by Michael L. Strobel, Charles C. Daniel, III, Melinda J. Chapman, and Beth M. Wrege U.S. Geological Survey, 3916 Sunset Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC Study Objective The objective of the study is to provide a better understanding of the hydraulics of ground- water flow systems and thereby, controls on water quality within the hydrogeologic terranes. During the first phase, seven sites are planned. Soil and rock cores are being examined for factors that affect ground-water quality and movement. Borehole geophysical logs are being used to describe the subsurface hydrogeologic setting, including lithology, fabric orientation, fracture occurrence and orientation, and flow characteristics. Wells are being installed in clusters along transects to characterize flow paths, hydraulic gradients, and water-level fluctuations. Tracer tests and age-dating techniques will be used to provide estimates of time-of-travel and to delineate flowpaths in the fractured rock ground-water system. Data produced by this study will provide a baseline for measuring the effects of changes in watersheds that affect water quality and flow characteristics. This information will be useful as a management tool for identifying ambient ground-water quality, delineating areas of high vulnerability to ground-water contamination, and abundant or limited ground-water supplies for meeting potable water needs. The first phase of work at the Langtree site is complete Work has begun at the Lake Wheeler Site Surface Geophysics at Lake Wheeler Site Wireline Coring at Lake Wheeler Field Research Laboratory The resulting resistivity diagram indicates the orientation of underlying fractures Fracture Delineation Using Borehole Geophysics Cores and borehole geophysics will be used to measure fracture abundance and identify possible ground-water flow paths. Lithologic, Caliper, Focused Resistivity, Fluid Resistivity, Temperature, and Heat-Pulse Flow Meter Logs Optical Televiewer – Virtual Core Optical Televiewer – 2-D Image Lithology CHARACTERIZATION OF PIEDMONT AND BLUE RIDGE FRACTURED BEDROCK GROUND-WATER SYSTEMS IN NORTH CAROLINA -- A FEDERAL AND STATE COOPERATIVE STUDY By Michael L. Strobel, Charles C. Daniel, III, Melinda J. Chapman, and Beth M. Wrege U.S. Geological Survey The U.S. Geological Survey has begun a multiyear cooperative study with the North Carolina Division of Water Quality, Groundwater Section, to characterize ground-water flow systems at selected locations in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge Provinces of North Carolina. The study is focused on identifying hydrogeologic conditions that influence water quality at specific sites that, conceptually, are representative of regional hydrogeologic terranes. The goal of the study is to provide a better understanding of the hydraulics of ground-water flow systems and thereby, controls on water quality within the hydrogeologic terranes. During the first phase, seven sites are planned. The site may be as small as a few acres or as large as a ten-square- mile watershed, depending on site research objectives. Soil and rock cores are being examined for factors that affect ground-water quality and movement. Borehole geophysical logs are being used to describe the subsurface hydrogeologic setting, including lithology, fabric orientation, fracture occurrence and orientation, and flow characteristics. Wells are being installed in clusters along transects to characterize flowpaths, hydraulic gradients, and water-level fluctuations. Aquifer tests and water-quality geochemistry in these wells will provide information on the hydrologic characteristics of the various geologic units. Tracer tests and age-dating techniques will be used to provide estimates of time-of-travel and to delineate flowpaths in the fractured rock ground-water system. Analyses of major ions will be used to examine rock-water interactions and geochemical processes within each hydrogeologic terrane. Surface-water samples from sites having nearby lakes and(or) streams will be analyzed to evaluate ground-water/surface-water interactions. Data produced by this study will provide a baseline for measuring the effects of changes in watersheds that affect water quality and flow characteristics. This information will be useful as a management tool for identifying ambient ground-water quality, delineating areas of high vulnerability to ground-water contamination, and abundant or limited ground-water supplies for meeting potable water needs. Water-level hydrographs from Well Cluster 2, Langtree Research Site record changes in vertical head gradient Thirty wells have been installed at the Langtree site Data are being collected at Langtree and relayed by satellite telemetry Langtree Research Site: Well Cluster 2, Instrument Shelters, Satellite Telemetry WELL CLUSTER 2 The next site to be studied, map number 6, is the Upper Piedmont Research Station in Rockingham County A’ We have been doing geologic mapping and identifying proposed well transects at the Upper Piedmont Research Station A A’ Southeastern section of line A- A’ where wells will be drilled Future Work