Wide variations occur in the chemical and physical characteristics of natural ground waters in Michigan. Dissolved-solids concentrations range from 23 to 2,100 milligrams per liter. Waters having low dissolved-solids concentrations are calcium bicarbonate waters. Sodium, sulfate, and chloride increase as mineralization increases. Iron, aluminum, and titanium are higher at some locations than is common in most natural waters. Lead concentrations exceed those desirable in drinking water at some locations in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula. Generalized areal patterns of water quality variation sug gest that geology is a primary cause of differences across the state. Examples of chemical associations in water suggest that chemical analy ses may be valuable in tracing and identifying mineral deposits. Table 1.-Maximum and minimum values of chemical and physical characteristics of ground water. Constituent or property Alkalinity (mg/L as CaCO3) Aluminum, Total Recoverable (pg/L as Al) Arsenic, Total (pg/L as As) Barium, Total Recoverable (pg/L as Ba) Beryllium, Total Recoverable (pg/L as Be) Bicarbonate (mg/L as HCO3) Bismuth, Total (pg/L as Bi) Boron, Total Recoverable (pg/L as B) Cadmium, Total Recoverable (pg/L as Cd) Calcium, Dissolved (mg/L as Ca) Carbon, Organic Dissolved (mg/L as C) Carbon Dioxide, Dissolved (mg/L as CO2) Carbonate (mg/L as CO3) Chloride, Dissolved (mg/L as C1) Chromium, Total Recoverable (pg/L as Cr) Cobalt, Total Recoverable (pg/L as Co) Color (Platinum Cobalt Units) Copper, Total Recoverable (pg/L as Cu) Cyanide, Total (mg/L as CN) Fluoride, Dissolved (mg/L as F) Gallium, Total (pg/L as Ga) Germanium, Total (pg/L as Ge) Hardness (mg/L as CaCo3)
Introduction 1 Purpose and scope 2 Methods of investigation 2 General water-quality conditions 3 Areal variations in water quality 12 Relation of water quality to geologic source 17 Relation of water quality to mineral associations 25 Conclusions 28 Selected references 30 Definition of terms 32 Appendix: Median values of chemical and physical characteristics of water from geologic sources 33 ill NATURAL GROUNDWATER QUALITY IN MICHIGAN, 1974-87
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.