This report presents information on all public and industrial water-supply installations in the Jackson Purchase region of western Kentucky pumping more than 5,000 gpd. Maps, tables, and a geolpgic cross section show the location and source of the 32 supplies inventoried, the pumpage, the chemical quality of the water, and the structure of the rock formations underlying this area. The total daily pumpage of ground water for 29 supplies is about 4,600,000 gallons; the total daily pumpage of surface water for 3 supplies is about 7,800,000 gallons. Water pumped from these formations is treated at two-thirds of the public and industrial installationsc Treatment includes aeration to reduce the iron content at onethird of the installations, chlorination to disinfect the water at two-thirds of them, and the addition of lime to raise the pH, for corrosion control, at one-third of them. Softening is a distinct step in water treatment at only public and 1 industrial installation. The temperature of ground water is generally between 57° and 64°F<, Surface water is used by only 1 public and 2 industrial supplies in this part of the State. These installations, however, pumped 2,841,401,000 gallons in 1951, which was 60 percent more than the total amount of ground water used by 29 supplies. Of this total 1,590,801,000 gallons was pumped from the Ohio Hiver by the Paducah public supply and 1,250,600,000 gallons was pumped from the Tennessee River by 2 industries in Calvert City, mainly for cooling purposes. The present rapid industrial expansion in the Jackson Purchase will greatly increase the use of both ground and surface water within the next few years, but the large reserves of ground and surface water should satisfy these additional demands.
