Aquifer Test at a Site on the Mullica River in the Wharton Tract, Southern New Jersey

Abstract

A pumping test was conducted along the Mullica River in the Wharton Tract, New Jersey as part of a water-resources investigation. Impermeable bog iron caps parts of the flood plain and channel so that ground-water recharge moves directly into the river.Observation wells on both sides of the river tapped water-bearing zones at 25 (shallow), 50 (medium), and 100 (deep) feet. A pumping well, screened in the medium zone, caused abrupt drawdowns which leveled off after a few minutes. Shape of the drawdown cone established early and changed little throughout the test. Piezometric surfaces were steepest on the southwest, indicating that most water came from there. Uninterrupted contour trends beneath the river show that here relatively little water entered the aquifer. Head differentials between the zones were greatest at the pumping well. Movement from the deep to medium zones was confined largely to the pumping-well vicinity. Pumping produced extensive reductions in the original areas of upward gradient between the medium and shallow zones; thus, areas of downward leakage became connected across the river. Piezometric head beneath the river was progressively lowered and caused the flood plain to dry; it became wet again when pumping stopped. The well field recovered to natural conditions in about 24 hours.Lack of hydraulic continuity between the river and aquifer results from bog iron deposits. Their removal will improve the continuity, and it appears feasible to induce river recharge to nearby pumping wells.

Simulation of groundwater flow and hydrologic effects of groundwater withdrawals from the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system in the Pinelands of southern New Jersey

“…An aquifer test was conducted previously at a site in the Pinelands near the Mullica River, about 5 km southeast of the Albertson Brook study area, during June 1960 (Lang and Rhodehamel, 1963). Similarities between the previous test and the tests conducted as part of this study are noteworthy.…”

“…Results of this test demonstrate the effect of pumping on water levels in wetlands and drawdown patterns that can occur at sites where low-permeability streambed sediments (bog iron deposits) restrict the movement of nearby surface water into the aquifer in response to pumping stress (Lang and Rhodehamel, 1963).…”

“…Basin-scale studies of the hydrology of the unconfined aquifer system in and adjacent to the study areas in this report include those of Sloto and Buxton (2005), Watt and others (2003), Johnson and Watt (1996), and Watt and Johnson (1992). Results of an aquifer test conducted in 1960 at a site near the Mullica River in the Pinelands, about 5 kilometers (km) southeast of the Albertson Brook study area, are documented by Lang and Rhodehamel (1963). Previously developed groundwater flow models by the USGS that focus on the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system are listed in table 1.…”

Simulated effects of alternative withdrawal strategies on ground-water-flow patterns, New Jersey Pinelands

“…An aquifer test was performed about 2.5 mi south of Batsto ( fig. 1) in the Mullica River Basin in 1960 to determine the effects of induced infiltration from the Mullica River on the adjacent aquifer (Lang and Rhodehamel, 1963). The transmissivity of the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system was determined to be about 20,000 tt2/d.…”

Simulation of ground-water flow in the unconfined aquifer system of the Toms River, Metedeconk River, and Kettle Creek basins, New Jersey

“…A single value of specific yield of 0.024 was reported, which is considered low for an unconfined aquifer. An additional aquifer test relevant to this study was conducted in the Mullica River Basin (Atlantic and Burlington Counties) 20 mi southwest of the study area, and is described by Lang and Rhodehamel (1963) and Rhodehamel (1979). The test resulted in a specific-yield estimate of 0.16 for the KirkwoodCohansey aquifer system (Rhodehamel, 1973, p. 31), which is more representative of the aquifer within the study area.…”