Robert Sharp
Groundwater Recharge Case Study
Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer, Dayton, Ohio
December 1, 2015
I. Introduction
Aquifer Background
The city of Dayton, Ohio is underlain by the Great Miami
Buried Valley Aquifer (GMBVA). Dayton is located in Montgomery
County, shown in Figure 1. Existing below the Great Miami River, the
aquifer is one of the most extensive and one of the most productive
aquifer systems in North America, estimated to store about 1.5 trillion
gallons of water (City of Dayton, 2013). Pre-glacial streams cut
deeply into relatively impermeable bedrock during the Pleistocene
Epoch and created wide valleys that were partially filled by the glacial
deposition of said, gravel and till, which range in thickness from about
150 to 250 feet. In most regions, the GMBVA consists of two aquifers
both ranging in thickness from about 30 to 75 feet (Norris and Spieker, 1966). The upper aquifer
and lower aquifer are separated by a till-rich zone, which has low permeability, resulting in the
lower aquifer being confined under artesian pressure; this
confining layer ranges in thickness from about 10 to 50 feet
(Norris and Spieker, 1966). However, in some areas, the
confining layer is not present, resulting in the two aquifers
being hydraulically connected. This heterogeneous aquifer is
bordered by steep sloping, relatively impermeable bedrock, a
pictorial representation is displayed in Figure 2.
Aquifer Use
Presently, the groundwater is pumped from two main well fields having a combined 110
wells that have the capacity to pump between one and four million gallons of water a day to the
Miami and Ottawa Treatment Plants (City of Dayton, 2014). This aquifer serves as a resource
for about 1.6 million people in the Southwest Ohio area as well as industries in the Dayton area
(City of Dayton, 2013). The GMBVA was designated by the Environmental Protection Agency
Wellhead Protection Award, and the Groundwater Foundation has designated the city a
Groundwater Guardian Community each year beginning in 1995 (City of Dayton, 2010).
Discussion
The use of recharge lagoons and ditches on Rohrers Island have clearly not only been
purposeful, but also successful. As evidence by the continued use of this system for around 90
years, the recharge basins are a maintainable recharge option in this area. While injection wells
have been considered in the past, they have not been necessary at this location. Considerations
regarding water temperature and chemistry have halted any initiatives regarding injection wells.
A main benefit of the use of the infiltration basins is that less energy is required than that
required to inject water into the aquifer.
Future of the Aquifer
Four common groundwater problems are identified as being variable availability of water
in place and time, local overdraft and declining groundwater levels resulting from increased
water use, groundwater contamination and water rights laws (Spieker, 1968). As climate change
effects and population increase, it is possible that these issues will become more of a concern for
Dayton. For instance, longer and more frequent periods of drought are likely, which has a
significant effect on water supply. In these cases, the need for different methods of recharge may
present itself.
V. Summary
The Great Miami Buried Valley Aquifer is one of the largest and most extensive aquifer
systems in the United States. In Dayton, Ohio the productivity of the aquifer has been able to be
maintained by artificial recharge through diverting water from the Mad River to dredged
infiltration ditches and lagoons beginning in the 1920s. This recharge system has proved
effective through periods of drought, and has not allowed the water table in the upper aquifer to
significantly drop; in fact, in periods of drought the water table has the potential to be higher than
it is on average due to the diversion of flow from the river. While more extensive methods of
recharge may have to be explored in the future as climate change and population growth
becomes more prevalent, at the present time, the recharge lagoons and ditches have proven to be
incredibly successful and maintainable.
References