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Toe Star Fire site is a large surface mining operation in eastern Kentucky owned and operated by Gyprus-Southem Realty. Approxlmately 10,000 acres of reclaimed, usable land will result from the ongoing mining operation by the year 201 O. Ultimately, development on the tract will depend on the avallabilityof an adequate water supply utilizing both surface and ground waters. Toe water resources of the first 1,000-acre tract of mine spoil have been investigated. Areas of groundwater recharge and discharge have been identified at the site. Major recharge enters the spoil by way of disappearing streams, groundwater flow from bedrock that is in contact with the mine spoil, and specially designed infiltration basins. Ground water discharges predominantly from springs and seeps along the western outslope of the spoil. Monitoring wells drilled into the spoil Indicate a saturated zone ranges from 8 to 25 feet in thickness. Data from waterlevel measurements, dye-tracing, and geochemical analyses of water samples indicate that a compacted haul road acts as a low-permeability barrier to groundwater movement. Water samples from surface and ground water taken from the site show that all waters are a Ca-Mg-sulfate type, differing only in the total concentration of these constituents. Specific conductance measurements of samples collected at the site ranged from 257 microsiemens In surface runoff to 3,725 microsiemens In a monitoring well situated in the interior of the spoil. The pH ranged between 6.23 and 6.66 for ground water sampled at the site, and between 7 .67 and 8.28 for surface water.

Abstract. Pressure barrels for sampling and preservation of submarine sediments under in situ pressure with the robotic sea-floor drill rig MeBo (Meeresboden-Bohrgerät) housed at the MARUM (Bremen, Germany) were developed. Deployments of the so-called "MDP" (MeBo pressure vessel) during two offshore expeditions off New Zealand and off Spitsbergen, Norway, resulted in the recovery of sediment cores with pressure stages equaling in situ hydrostatic pressure. While initially designed for the quantification of gas and gas-hydrate contents in submarine sediments, the MDP also allows for analysis of the sediments under in situ pressure with methods typically applied by researchers from other scientific fields (geotechnics, sedimentology, microbiology, etc.). Here we report on the design and operational procedure of the MDP and demonstrate full functionality by presenting the first results from pressure-core degassing and molecular gas analysis.

For more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprodTo order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. iii AcknowledgmentsThe authors acknowledge the support and input of the drilling and environmental-science communities in the development of this report. Special thanks are extended to the drilling industry for their effort in providing well-completion reports and to the NHDES staff, particularly Richard Schofield and Frederick Chormann, who have over the years carefully managed these data. Thanks also to Allen Shapiro, Rodney Sheets, Leslie DeSimone, and Dennis Risser of the USGS for discussion of data and analyses. Mary Ashman edited the report, M. Patricia Lee and Mark Bonito provided layout and graphic assistance. AbstractAnalysis of nearly 60,000 reported values of static water level (SWL, as depth below land surface) in bedrock wells in New Hampshire, aggregated on a yearly basis, showed an apparent deepening of SWL of about 13 ft (4 m) over the period . Water-level data were one-time measurements at each well and were analyzed, in part, to determine if they were suitable for analysis of trends in groundwater levels across the state. Other well characteristics, however, also have been changing over time, such as total well depth, casing length, the length of casing in bedrock, and to some extent, well yield. Analyses indicated that many of the well construction variables are significantly correlated; the apparent declines in water levels may have been caused by some of these factors. Information on changes in water use for the period was not available, although water use may be an important factor affecting water levels.Multiple regression models were used to determine the simultaneous effects of important variables on SWLs statewide. Models also were generated for each county, and the model-calculated results for counties were generally similar to the results for the state wide models.The most significant predictors of mean SWL (aggregated by year and quarter) were total depth, the third quarter of the year (July-September), elevation, and height of well above minimum elevation within a 1,640-foot (500-meter) radius (hillslope factor). Casing length was a significant predictor of SWL for igneous-rock models and curvature of the land surface for metamorphic-rock models. Local geologic as well as landscape features appear to provide further explanation of SWL variation. For example, SWLs in wells completed ...