Browsing by Author "Jennings, Carrie E."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Banking Groundwater - A study examining aquifer storage and recovery for groundwater sustainability in Minnesota
    Bilotta, John P.; Arnold, William; Kang, Peter; Seonkyoo, Yoon; Shandilya, Raghwendra N.; Bresciani, Etienne; Lee, Seunghak; Kirk, Josh; Levers, Lucia; Bohman, Brian; Kirby, Eileen; Runkel, Anthony; Xiang, Galen; Gassman, Phillip; Valcu-Lisman, Adriana; Jennings, Carrie E.; jbilotta@umn.edu; Bilotta, John P; University of Minnesota Water Resources Center; Freshwater
    Some of the more than 75% of Minnesotans who rely on groundwater may find it in short supply in the face of population, land-use and climate change. Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is a technological approach to treat and inject clean water into an aquifer for temporary storage. The hydrogeological characteristics and the chemistry of the source water and aquifer impact treatment needs prior to injection and after extraction. Aquifer properties that control how water moves determine the volume and rate of water injected. This study examined four different kinds of aquifers across Minnesota with unique pressures to determine their suitability for ASR. The study findings suggest three may be suitable for ASR. The Buffalo aquifer in Moorhead has variable injection capacity and multiple sources of water for injection. Water quality issues of arsenic, sulfate, manganese, and hardness would require treatment after extraction. The Jordan aquifer in Rochester faces increased pressure from growth and nitrate contamination in the surrounding agricultural areas. The wastewater treatment plant could provide adequate source water if treated. Woodbury faces pressure from increasing population and PFAS contamination of the Jordan aquifer. ASR could recharge groundwater from wastewater treatment plants and also be integrated with PFAS remediation scenarios by reinjection of treated groundwater. ASR is not recommended for the surficial sand aquifer in the Straight River Groundwater Management area in north central Minnesota because there is no source of water to make it a feasible option at this time. Cost-benefit analysis combined with a sensitivity analysis of economic factors should be a component of ASR project feasibility. Modified state well code and a streamlined permitting path would allow more successful development and deployment of ASR. State adoption of control over Class V injection wells from the USEPA is also necessary.
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    OFR10-01, Sediment Source Apportionment to the Lake Pepin TMDL--Source Characterization
    (Minnesota Geological Survey, 2010) Jennings, Carrie E.
    The MGS portion of the project was specifically designed to help guide the selection and interpretation of lake-cores planned by the Science Museum of Minnesota that were intended to serve as reference sites (reference lakes) to document recent and historic erosion rates in the agricultural areas of the Middle Minnesota watershed. A second goal was to better predict the texture of surface sediment for input to a watershed model being used to address turbidity issues by the MPCA.
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    OFR10-03, Geomorphology and Reconnaissance Surficial Geology of the Le Sueur River Watershed
    (Minnesota Geological Survey, 2010) Jennings, Carrie E.
    This map subdivides the surface into glacial geologic units based on geomorphology, texture and geologic origin. It includes a map legend, data points and links to sample data and photos taken during field work. An attribute table contains all relevant textural data. A summary of methods and interpretations is included in the accompanying report.
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    OFR10-07, Glacial Geology of Seven Mile Creek Watershed
    (Minnesota Geological Survey, 2010) Jennings, Carrie E.
    The Minnesota Geological Survey was responsible for helping to quantify the relative contributions of bluff versus upland erosion in the watershed in order to better constrain a computer model of the watershed (HSPF model) by mapping the glacial geology of the Seven Mile Creek watershed, identifying the glacial stratigraphic units exposed along Seven Mile Creek, preparing a report of findings, and presenting the results to local interested parties
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    RI-68 Quaternary Lithostratigraphic Units of Minnesota
    (Minnesota Geological Survey, 2016-03) Johnson, Mark D.; Adams, Roberta S.; Gowan, Angela S.; Harris, Kenneth L.; Hobbs, Howard C.; Jennings, Carrie E.; Knaeble, Alan R.; Lusardi, Barbara A.; Meyer, Gary N.;
    Much of Minnesota is covered by sediment of Quaternary age that was deposited during numerous glaciations by ice, wind, and water. In this report, we follow guidelines of the North American Stratigraphic Code (North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature, 2005) to create a framework for establishing formal lithostratigraphic units in Minnesota. We evaluate over 100 lithostratigraphic units that have been identified in Minnesota. Eighty (80) units are considered to be useful lithostratigraphic units of formation and member rank, and these are formally accepted in this report or are recommended to be so in future publications. These 80 units include previously named formal lithostratigraphic units that are recognized and accepted as originally defined, but also formally defined units that we have revised or redefined to better fit into our stratigraphic framework. The remaining lithostratigraphic units have been used informally in earlier reports or are newly named in this report. Additional units that are no longer considered necessary as lithostratigraphic units are abandoned in this report. These units include previously used units of both formal and informal status. Of the 80 lithostratigraphic units recommended to be retained, 47 are formally defined, revised, or redefined in this report. The remaining 33 units are recommended to be formally named in a future Minnesota Geological Survey Report of Investigations.