U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior
News Release
Date: July 22, 2008
Contact: John Clarke 770-903-9170 jsclarke@xxxxxxxx
____________________________________________________________________________
Saltwater Contamination
Monitored Daily in Brunswick, Ga.
High-tech equipment recently installed
on wells now provides daily information to better protect Brunswick, GA
against saltwater contamination. The fresh-water supply in a two-square
mile area near Brunswick, Ga. is contaminated from saltwater.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
designed and recently installed an innovative measurement system using
satellite telemetry to enable daily monitoring of the area of contamination.
This new equipment will monitor against further contamination to any surrounding
fresh ground-water resources.
“In the past, we could only monitor
salinity levels on an annual basis. Now, this new equipment will help monitor
potential movement of saltwater to any surrounding fresh ground-water resources
on a daily basis." This real-time capability is a critical tool for
State and local authorities to manage water resources effectively” explained
John Clarke, USGS hydrologist.
“These wells are extremely important
as they provide an early warning system against further expansion of saltwater
contamination into freshwater zones,” said Keith Morgan, Director of the
Brunswick-Glynn County Joint Water and Sewer Commission.
Saltwater contamination of ground-water
aquifers is a serious issue for many coastal communities throughout the
U.S. that depend on aquifers for their water supply. When ground
water is removed at a rate faster than it is recharged, saltwater can migrate
into freshwater zones. The Upper Floridan aquifer at Brunswick is
vulnerable to saltwater contamination from deep saltwater zones that migrate
through fractures in the rock and into freshwater zones.
These real-time-monitoring wells
are part of a larger network of wells that the USGS samples for chloride
concentration on an annual basis to determine relative movement of saltwater
in the Upper Floridan aquifer in the Brunswick area. Ground-water levels
and chloride concentrations in Brunswick-Glynn County have been monitored
since the late1950s as part of the Brunswick-Glynn County Cooperative Water
Program.
The wells were funded by the USGS,
the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, and the Brunswick-Glynn
County Joint Sewer and Water Commission. Assisting in issues related to
water management in the Brunswick-Glynn County area is the Water Resources
Management Advisory Committee, which consists of representatives from local
government and private industry, and concerned citizens.
Data about these and other well
sites is available at:
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/projects/projectcoastalgwquality.html
Information on USGS activities
in the Brunswick-Glynn County area is available at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1368
USGS provides science for a changing
world. For more information, visit www.usgs.gov.
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Diane Noserale
Media Relations, Eastern Region
U.S. Geological Survey
150 National Center
Reston, VA 20192
phone: 703-648-4333
fax: 703-648-4588
