REGIONAL GROUND-WATER QUALITY

Ground water serves as the main source of drinking water for 50% of the United States as a whole--and for 97% of rural populations, in particular. In addition to public concern with point sources of contamination, such as landfills and hazardous waste disposal sites, current attention has now come to focus on the overall quality of ground-water resources. Regional Ground-Water Quality offers the first detailed guidance for conducting ground-water quality investigations in a regional context. This exceptional volume combines hydrogeologic and geochemical principles, as well as statistical principles, within a unique conceptual framework that helps readers produce efficient, meaningful, and successful ground-water assessments. Regional Ground-Water Quality will be a valuable resource when first approaching a regional-scale study and when designing specific regional-scale studies. Throughout the book, topics emphasize the value of studying regional ground-water quality at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Up-to-date coverage of essential processes and methodologies includes:
* multi-scale design concepts for regional ground-water quality studies
* the fate and transport of organic and inorganic materials, including nitrates, pesticides, pathogens, acid precipitation, natural radionuclides, saltwater intrusion, and problems in karst aquifers
* basic concepts of organic and inorganic chemistry
* a review of environmental isotopes and geochemical modeling
* statistical concepts for ground-water quality surveys and geostatistical analysis
* the effects of surface-water/ground-water interactions on ground-water quality
* the relationship between ground-water quality and land use
* regional geochemistry principles
Readers will be brought completely up to date with the latest research in ground-water assessments, such as novel methods for dating young ground water, including the use of CFCs, tritium/helium-3, and krypton-85. The book also examines the uses of organic compounds as time and source markers, ground-water vulnerability analyses, applications of subsurface microbiology at the regional scale, and design of well-water surveys. Invaluable case studies drawn from international projects graphically demonstrate concepts discussed in the book. These case studies describe successful regional ground-water assessment efforts conducted in various areas and include a look at the uses and limitations of existing ground-water quality data. A first-of-its-kind resource, Regional Ground-Water Quality will be essential reading for scientists and engineers in hydrology, water resources, agricultural sciences, and environmental sciences. It will also be of interest to engineers and R&D personnel in government, industry, and private consulting, as well as to professionals involved with the design and interpretation of studies.

About the Editor Dr. William M. Alley is with the United States ## where he is Chief of the Office of Ground W## directed research for the USGS on the design ## gional ground-water quality studies. He ha## served as Ground-Water Coordinator for the N## Water-Quality Assessment Program.

Partial table of contents:

General Design Considerations (W. Alley).

Establishing a Conceptual Framework (W. Alley).

STATISTICAL CONCEPTS.

Ground-Water-Quality Surveys (W. Alley).

WATER-QUALITY CONCEPTS.

Inorganic Chemical Processes and Reactions (D. Runnells).

Organic Chemical Concepts (P. Capel).

Geochemical Models (D. Parkhurst & L. Plummer).

Uses of Environmental Isotopes (T. Coplen).

SELECTED WATER-QUALITY ISSUES.

Organic Contaminants (D. Mackay & L. Smith).

Acid Precipitation (G. Jacks).

Analysis of Ground-Water Systems in Freshwater-Saltwater Environments (T. Reilly).

CASE STUDIES.

Ground-Water-Quality Monitoring in the Netherlands (W. van Duijvenbooden).

Ground-Water-Quality in the Oklahoma City Urban Area (S. Christenson & A. Rea).

Index.