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12 THE HYDROLOGIC FRAMEWORK OF NORTHWESTERN INDIANA: A BACKGROUND FOR PLANNING REMEDIATION Richard F. Duwelius, Hydrologist U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division Indianapolis, Indiana 46278-1996 INTRODUCTION Northern Lake County and northwestern Porter County in northwestern Indiana have undergone extensive changes during the past 150 years. This region at the southern end of Lake Michigan was, in large part, a wilderness of dunes, lakes, and marshes. By 1840, however, this began to change when railroads pushed through the dunes and marshes, and settlements grew in their wake. By 1900, the advantage of bulk transport by ship on Lake Michigan and the construction of harbors contributed to the creation of one of the largest industrialized and urbanized regions in the United States. For more than 100 years, steel making and petroleum refining and storing have been major industries in this region. Other industries, past and present, include meat packing, metal forging, scrap processing, chemical manufacturing and recycling, and rail-car manufacturing. The industrialization and consequent urbanization of northwestern Indiana resulted in destruction or alteration of many of the dunes, lakes, and marshes to make land for expansion. Waste materials from industrial and municipal sources are buried throughout the region. Disposal of waste was unregulated during much of the period of industrial and urban expansion. Although some types of liquid wastes may have been treated prior to discharge or disposal as early as the late 1920's,1 a systematic and comprehensive approach to waste disposal was not initiated until the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976. Much of this region is underlain by a surficial sand and silt aquifer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) have identified more than 100 sites that require cleanup, including seven Superfund sites within this region. As a result of the large potential for contamination, the number of contaminated sites, and the potential for groundwater contaminants to discharge to Lake Michigan, the USEPA in 1991 designated Lake and Porter Counties as part of a Geographic Enforcement Initiative Area. By this designation, the USEPA acknowledged the importance of understanding the regional hydrologic framework of this area. In 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the USEPA began investigations to provide hydrogeologic information to assess regional groundwater flow and quality. Three investigations have been completed: (I) a synoptic survey of water levels that included measurement of water levels in 284 wells and at 22 surface-water sites; (2) an assessment of regional groundwater quality based on analyses of water from 69 wells; and (3) a study to map and characterize human-em- placed fill materials within the region. Purpose and Scope This chapter describes three regional investigations done to characterize the hydrogeology. groundwater quality, and fill deposits in northwestern Indiana. Results are summarized and presented in the text and figures. The chapter is divided into three sections—the first section describes the physical and hydrogeologic setting of northwestern Indiana; the second section sum- 51st Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings. 1996. Ann Arbor Press. Inc., Chelsea. Michigan 48118. Printed in U.S.A. 105
Object Description
Purdue Identification Number | ETRIWC199612 |
Title | Hydrologic framework of northwestern Indiana : a background for planning remediation |
Author | Duwelius, Richard F. |
Date of Original | 1996 |
Conference Title | Proceedings of the 51st Industrial Waste Conference |
Conference Front Matter (copy and paste) | http://e-archives.lib.purdue.edu/u?/engext,46351 |
Extent of Original | p. 105-114 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital object copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Date Digitized | 2009-10-27 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
Description
Title | page 105 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Transcript | 12 THE HYDROLOGIC FRAMEWORK OF NORTHWESTERN INDIANA: A BACKGROUND FOR PLANNING REMEDIATION Richard F. Duwelius, Hydrologist U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division Indianapolis, Indiana 46278-1996 INTRODUCTION Northern Lake County and northwestern Porter County in northwestern Indiana have undergone extensive changes during the past 150 years. This region at the southern end of Lake Michigan was, in large part, a wilderness of dunes, lakes, and marshes. By 1840, however, this began to change when railroads pushed through the dunes and marshes, and settlements grew in their wake. By 1900, the advantage of bulk transport by ship on Lake Michigan and the construction of harbors contributed to the creation of one of the largest industrialized and urbanized regions in the United States. For more than 100 years, steel making and petroleum refining and storing have been major industries in this region. Other industries, past and present, include meat packing, metal forging, scrap processing, chemical manufacturing and recycling, and rail-car manufacturing. The industrialization and consequent urbanization of northwestern Indiana resulted in destruction or alteration of many of the dunes, lakes, and marshes to make land for expansion. Waste materials from industrial and municipal sources are buried throughout the region. Disposal of waste was unregulated during much of the period of industrial and urban expansion. Although some types of liquid wastes may have been treated prior to discharge or disposal as early as the late 1920's,1 a systematic and comprehensive approach to waste disposal was not initiated until the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976. Much of this region is underlain by a surficial sand and silt aquifer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) have identified more than 100 sites that require cleanup, including seven Superfund sites within this region. As a result of the large potential for contamination, the number of contaminated sites, and the potential for groundwater contaminants to discharge to Lake Michigan, the USEPA in 1991 designated Lake and Porter Counties as part of a Geographic Enforcement Initiative Area. By this designation, the USEPA acknowledged the importance of understanding the regional hydrologic framework of this area. In 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the USEPA began investigations to provide hydrogeologic information to assess regional groundwater flow and quality. Three investigations have been completed: (I) a synoptic survey of water levels that included measurement of water levels in 284 wells and at 22 surface-water sites; (2) an assessment of regional groundwater quality based on analyses of water from 69 wells; and (3) a study to map and characterize human-em- placed fill materials within the region. Purpose and Scope This chapter describes three regional investigations done to characterize the hydrogeology. groundwater quality, and fill deposits in northwestern Indiana. Results are summarized and presented in the text and figures. The chapter is divided into three sections—the first section describes the physical and hydrogeologic setting of northwestern Indiana; the second section sum- 51st Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings. 1996. Ann Arbor Press. Inc., Chelsea. Michigan 48118. Printed in U.S.A. 105 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
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