WSPC02131

• File Number: 8040.800
• Description: Section D General Studies - Water Resources
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 11/1/1957
• Author: USGS
• Title: Water Resources Review - November 1957 through December 1958
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

10

nOJ776

year. A cold snap that accompanied a severe snow-
storm during February reduced the infiltration rate
and caused the levels to decline to stages that were
below average but above those of the preceding yeat'.
A thaw during March, however, reversed the trend
once again and levels rose. The expected seasonal
decline began in May, as the evapotranspiration rate
increased, and continued through September 1958, but
the levels remained above average during the entire
period. During May. water levels in the agricultural
area of north-central Connecticut were above average
for the first time in 18 months.

The fluctuation of water levels in New Haven gen-
erally followed the same trends apparent elsewhere
in the state. However, in the cold-storage and indus-
trial areas. the effect of variations in the rate of
ground-water withdrawn from wells was impressed or.
the natural fluctuations. During October and November
water levels in these areas rose and were above the
seasonal average, whereas levels in the residential
area, which are affected ohly slightly by pumping,
continued to decline and were below average. In
December. levels throughout the New Haven area rose
and continued to rise through May. By January. levels
in the residential area were above average for the
first time during the water year. In the cold-storage
and industriaL areas they reached record-high stages
for each successive month from March to May. The
levels declined from June through September in the
New Haven area. but remained above average and
above those of the preceding year.

New York.-During the early part of the water year,
water levels in Upstate New York generally were near
or below average. Water levels in some wells began
to rise seasonally in October and all wells had begun
to rise seasonally by December when above-average
precipitation and temperature resulted in increased
recharge. The rate of recovery began to diminish in
late December or early January and water levels re-
mained relatively unchanged until a general thaw in
March resulted in a further rise in levels. As a re-
sult of the March rise, water levels were near or
above average in most areas at the beginning of the
growing season. Water levels began to decline
seasonally in most observation wells in April. Heavy
precipitation in July and August resulted in a rise in
the water level in some wells a~d a reduction in the
rate of decline in others. In general, water levels
were near or above average during the last few months
of the water year.

On Long Island, ground-water levels during the year
were considerably higher than those of the previous
year and in some wells record-high stages were ob-
served. This high position can be attributed to the
abundant rainfall during the late winter. spring and
summer months of 1958. Beginning in January 1958,
each succeeding month had above-normal precipitation
until by the end of August 1958 the accumulated de-
parture was about 10 inches above normal.

In Kings County the upward trend of water levels,
which had prevailed in the Flatbush area since the
termination of pumping in 1947 by the New York Water
Service Corporation," apparently continued into 1958.

In Queens County. the levels generally rose during
the year. The most marked change was in the

south-central part of the county where water levels in
several wells. which have declined continously since
1953 and were record-low during th,e 1957 water yea!',
rose substantially abovp those levels recorded in 1957.
This was due in part to a slight decrease of pumpage
in this area and in part to the abundant rain.fall.
Pumpage by the City of New York from installations
along the south shore of the island in Queens and
Nassau Counties wa::i not significant during the year.

In the western third of Nassau County, water levels
rose substantially from record-low stages observed
early in the water year. Ground water in this part of
Nassau County is heavily pumped both for industrial
and dome.stic purposes. In the center of this area a-
long the Queens County line the water levels are also
greatly influenced by the heavy pumpage in south.
central Queens County. In other parts of Nassau
County water levels in wells generally rose during the
year. The pressure head in some artesian wells a-
long the north shore of Nassau County was record
high.

In Suffolk County the draft from wells is only
moderate and large parts of the tounty are relatively
undeveloped. For this reason the fluctuations of
ground-water levels are more related to rainfall than
to pumping. Water levels rose markedly during the
year in the county. and many reached record-high
stages.

New Jersey.--Ground-water levels were below
average throughout most of the State during the months
of October and November 1957. and record-low stages
were observed in many wells tapping the hard-rock
formations. the unconsolidated glacial sands and
gravels, and the unconsolidated deposits of the Atlantic
Coastal Plain. These record-low stages can be attri-
buted to an unusually dry spell from May through
November 1957. During the month of December 1957,
sufficient precipitation fell to reverse the trend. and
since then the levels have been gradually rising. At
the end of September 1958, the water levels were
about average.

Pennsylvania.-Most ground-water levels rose
seasonally during the first part of the year and reached
their highest stages in the month of April. From May
through August the levels generally declined as
evapotranspiration losses increased. The levels be-
gan to rise again in September when evapotranspiratio,tl
losses decreased.

The levels generally were higher during 1958 than
during 1957, except in January and February when the
levels in many wells were lower. New record-high
levels were establf.shed at several wells in Chester
and Delaware Counties.

Delaware.-Ground-water levels in shallow water-
table wells rose steadily during the first 7 months of
the water year in response to above-normal precipi-
tation and seasonal trends. Heavy rainfall occurring
from December through April resulted in record-high
water levels in April. at which time they were, on the
average, more than 4. feet higher than at the beginning
of the year, The water levels declined slowly through-
out the remaining five months of the year and at the
end of the year were about 1 t ft above the average
water level of the preceding 7 years of record.