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Jefferson County Geohydrology

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Summary of Ground-water Conditions

Moderate to large supplies of water are available from wells in alluvium of the Delaware and Kansas River valleys. The potential for development of large groundwater supplies is greatest from wells drilled in alluvium near the Kansas River, where infiltration can he induced from the stream.

Small to moderate supplies of groundwater are available from properly constructed wells in areas of thick glacial deposits in the northeastern part of Jefferson County. In upland areas elsewhere in the county where glacial drift is relatively thin, groundwater supplies for domestic and stock use may be only marginally adequate or may require supplementary supply.

The bedrock formations generally are not a source of water, but wells may yield small amounts of water from the weathered zone at the bedrock surface, with the part of the well below the bedrock surface serving principally as a storage reservoir. A relatively common practice in upland areas is to locate wells in draws or small valleys where water-bearing zones in combined colluvium and alluvium may provide an adequate supply of water for domestic and stock use.

Groundwater in Jefferson County generally is very hard and locally contains excessive concentrations of nitrate and iron.


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Kansas Geological Survey, Jefferson County Geohydrology
Web version July 2002. Original publication date Dec. 1972.
Comments to webadmin@kgs.ku.edu
The URL for this page is http://www.kgs.ku.edu/General/Geology/Jefferson/06_summ.html