PUB00070

• Year: 1998
• Title: Ground Water and Surface Water A Single Resource U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1139
• CWCB Section: Interstate & Federal
• Author: T.C. Winter, J.W. Harvey, O.L. Franke, W.M. Alley
• Description: Overview of current understandimg of interaction of ground water and surface water in terms of quality and quantity
• Publications - Doc Type: Historical

In a second study, atrazine was detected in ground
water in the alluvial aquifer along the Platte River near
Lincoln, Nebraska. Atrazine is not applied in the vicinity of the
well field, so it was suspected that ground-water withdrawals
at the well field caused contaminated river water to move
into the aquiter. To define the source of the atrazine, water
samples were collected from monitoring wells located at
different distances from the river near the well field. The
pattern of concentrations of atrazine in the ground water indi-
cated that peak concentrations of the herbicide showed up
sooner in wells close to the river compared to wells farther
away (Figure P-2). Peak concentrations of atrazine in ground
water were much higher and more distinct during periods of
large ground-water withdrawals (July and August) than during
periods of much smaller withdrawals (May to early June).

Cedar River, Iowa

Lincoln, Nebraska

Platte River near Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photograph by
Ralph Davis.)

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Ffgure P-2. Pumping of municipal water-supply wells near
Lincoln, Nebraska, has induced Platte River water contami-
nated with atrazine to ffow into the aquifer. Distances shown
are from river to monitoring well. (Modified from Duncan, D.,
Pederson, D. T.. Shepherd, T.R., and Carr, J.D., 1991.
Atrazine used as a tracer of induced recharge: Ground
Water Monitoring Review. v. 11, no. 4, p. 144-150.) (Used
with permission.)

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