Ground-Water Conditions in the Vicinity of Lawrence, Kansas

Abstract

This report presents the results. of a detailed investigation of the groundwater conditions in and near Lawrence, with particular reference to the possibility of replacing the present municipal surface-water supply with a suitable supply of ground water. A geologic reconnaissance was made of the Kansas river valley north of Lawrence supplemented by extensive test drilling and water sampling.

It was found that the bedrock underlying Lawrence and vicinity is not capable of supplying water in amounts sufficient to meet the needs of the city, and that at many places the water from the bedrock is brackish or salty.

The test drilling and other field and laboratory work indicate that the alluvium in the Kansas river valley is by far the most productive source of ground water in the vicinity of Lawrence. The alluvium is very permeable and ranges in thickness from about 40 feet along the south side of the valley to as much as 80 feet in the deepest part of an old bedrock channel along the northern side of the valley-the area most favorable for the development of a large ground-water supply. It is conservatively estimated that recharge from Kansas river (especially from the dammed portion) and from local precipitation plus the recoverable part of the ground-water underflow from upstream areas would be sufficient to maintain a ground-water development of 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 gallons a day-adequate to meet the needs of the city. Suggestions are included as to the propert type and spacing of wells and the optimum rate of pumping in order to obtain a large supply of ground water without danger of local overdevelopment.

The ground water in the alluvium is very hard and contains considerable iron and some manganese, but it is very low in chloride and fluoride. The hardness is almost all carbonate or so-called temporary hardness, so that the hardness, iron, and manganese can be removed by relatively simple and inexpensive treatment. Moreover, the ground water is clear, and is free of the noxious tastes and odors and the excessive turbidity found in the river water now used to supply the city.