Relation of stream‐flow to ground‐water levels

Abstract

In recent years the Water Resources Branch of the United States Geological Surrey has given considerable attention to the relation of ground‐water to stream‐flow. One locality in which this relation is being studied is about 13 miles from Washington, near Colesvllle, Maryland, where a Kinnison float‐gage is being maintained in a well In connection with the operation of a gaging‐station on the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River. The well is opposite the gaging‐station, on a gentle slope about one. fifth of a mile from the stream, where the land‐surface ia about 20 feet above the bed of the stream. The well is an abandoned dug well 20 feet deep and is lined with loose stone and presumably admits water freely. The fluctuations of the water‐level in the well are believed to afford a fairly close index of fluctuations in the water‐table at the well‐site and may be typical of the fluctuations that occur in a large part of the area drained by the Northwest Branch above the gaging‐station, consisting of about 21 square miles of gently rolling farm‐land. During the period of the observations herein considered the water‐level in the well ranged from 10 to 16 feet below the ground‐surface at the well and from 10 to 4 feet above the bed of the stream.

Relation between ground water and surface water in Brandywine Creek basin, Pennsylvania

“…A different period of analysis particularly one that included relatively dry years might have altered not only the quantitative relations of the water levels in the index wells to base flow but the qualitative conclusions as well. For example, Harrold (1934) in his study of a small basin in the Piedmont province in Maryland, found a difference in the relations between ground-water stage and base flow in wet and dry seasons. No such difference is apparent in the records for Brandywine Creek basin in 1952-53, but both 1952 and 1953 were relatively wet years.…”

Geology and water resources of the Santa Fe area, New Mexico

“…Hydrologists are beginning to realize the importance of the effects of soil moisture and ground-water storage and depletion upon the relations of precipitation and streamflow. Some suggested and applied considerations of the role of ground water and soil moisture to runoff are given in the following papers, among others: Croft (1946), Cross (1949), Harrold (1934), Huff (1944), Jacob (1943Jacob ( , 1944, Merriam (1942Merriam ( , 1948, Paget (1946), Piper (1948), Schiff and Dreibelbis (1949), and Thomas (1949a). Piper's paper (1948) makes the following suggestions for improving runoff forecasts:…”

The relation of geology to dry‐weather stream flow in Ohio

“…The relation between stream flow and ground water has been studied by many different methods. The water levels in water-table wells have been successfully correlated with stream discharges [HARROLD, 1934;MERRIAM, 1942]. Normal depletion curves for streams reflect average ground water supply.…”