By Dan Kane, PG

By now it is my hope that the reader has learned about the Three-Dimensional Geologic Mapping Project (3-D GMP) about to begin in Boone County. This is the fourth article in a series dedicated to raising awareness in the community about this project.

The key reason for doing this project is to gain a much-improved understanding of the local geology and the underground water supply that we all depend on. If you are reading this article and have not seen the previous articles, you can go to the Boone County Website where they are posted: www.boonecountyil.gov/government/departments/planning_department/water_resources. php.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, March 8, as we are hosting a public information and media event at the Wings & Wheels Museum to provide an opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about this project. You will need to RSVP by logging into the reservation link found at the end of this article. We need to know how many people plan to come, so using this link is very important.

Boone County has long been a leader in using science to better understand and plan for local growth. The processes in place have changed over time with new information and technology aiding local leaders in their assessment of comprehensive planning and the review and approval of new development. The 3-D GMP is the first new, comprehensive study of Boone County geology, since the mid 1980s.

Keep in mind that the local geology holds our water supply in the subsurface deposits that are called aquifers. The new study will map nearly the entire county and provide details about the size and extent of these aquifers. How they might be connected, and how they interact with surface waters like the Kishwaukee River. We have a relatively new map, created from information already in hand.

This map is titled “Boone County Sensitive Aquifer Recharge Areas (SARA) Map” (Figure 1). This map shows surface areas where the soil and near surface geologic materials have a high potential for water to soak into the ground (groundwater recharge). It is an important reference, and reflects two important aspects about our water supply.

It is this combination of factors that needs greater understanding. The SARA map shows where precipitation (rainfall or snowmelt) has an increased chance of getting into the ground based on a characteristic called saturated hydraulic conductivity. That is a mouthful to say, but it relates to how easily water can flow through the soil materials, something similar to permeability or how fast water can move through the material. Rate of flow is often expressed by the number of inches or centimeters the water can move per minute or per hour.

The usefulness of the current SARA map is limited to the detail of the data collected to create it. United States Department of Agriculture Soil Survey Maps typically represent a resolution of around one soil boring or “data point” per 20-acres of land surface.

Areas highlighted in red on the SARA map also depict places considered to be “sensitive” in terms of where contaminants would also have an increased chance of soaking into the ground, perhaps with the precipitation, and thus potentially degrading water quality.

The new study will significantly increase the detail(s) about what is found at, and below the soil surface. The new technology will be assessing geologic materials and structures continuously across the landscape. Exposing seamless 3-dimensional aspects of how the surface materials provide connections to the shallow sand and gravel aquifers, and ultimately the deeper bedrock aquifers – shedding important new insights on how the local water supply actually functions.

Circling back, the local geology is complex and this study will tell us in great detail where the aquifers are, where the current water level is; where, how, or if the shallow aquifers connect with the soil surface and/or the bedrock buried below.

You can learn more about the 3-D GMP at the public information and media event scheduled for March 8th. The event will be held at the Wings and Wheels Museum on Orth Road from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Weather permitting, a helicopter demonstration of the geophysical system will take place at noon.

An open house format between 10 and 11:30 a.m. will allow attendees to meet this project’s scientists, engage with local water resource professionals (like me!), and visit with local planners who will use the new information to develop and implement safeguards to help ensure local water resources remain sustainable to meet current and future needs. If you want to attend, please visit forms.illinois.edu/sec/1102594718 to register.

 
 
 
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