Browsing by Author "Wheeler, Betty J"

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    1980 to 2012 Dye Tracing in the South Branch Whitewater River Valley, Elba/Altura, Minnesota Area
    (2016) Ustipak, Kelsi R; Green, Jeffrey A; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
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    2015 Olmsted County Dye Traces
    (2019-04-17) Larsen, Martin R; Johnson, Scot B; Green, Jeffrey A; Kasahara, Sophie M; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr, E Calvin
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    2017 York Blind Valley Dye Trace Fillmore County, MN
    (2018-10) Larsen, Martin R; Green, Jeffrey A; Barry, John D; Kasahara, Sophie M; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr., E Calvin
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    Crystal Creek Dye Trace Report Fillmore County, Minnesota
    (2017-05) Kuehner, Kevin J; Green, Jeffrey A; Barry, John D; Rutelonis, J. Wes; Wheeler, Betty J; Kasahara, Sophie M; Luhmann, Andrew J; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
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    Dye Trace Report Gorman Creek Trace: March 2011 Wabasha County, Minnesota
    (2017-02) Green, Jeffrey A; Luhmann, Andrew; Alexander, Scott C; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
    The karst lands of southeast Minnesota contain more than one hundred trout streams that receive perennial discharge from Paleozoic bedrock springs. Several of the Paleozoic bedrock aquifers that provide discharge to these streams are dominated by conduit-flow. Field investigations into the flow characteristics of these aquifers have been conducted using fluorescent dyes to map groundwater springsheds and characterize groundwater flow velocities for use in water resource protection. Gorman Creek is one of these designated trout streams. The creek is located roughly 14 kilometers (8.5 mi.) northeast of Plainview, Minnesota in Wabasha County (Figure 1). This trace was completed to add to delineated springsheds of the region as part of the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) Springshed Mapping project.
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    Dye Trace Report Harmony, Minnesota Area Traces: October 2007, June 2009, and November 2010 Fillmore County, Minnesota
    (2016-06) Green, Jeffrey A; Peters, Andrew J; Luhmann, Andrew J; Alexander, Scott C; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
    Dye traces were conducted in the area of Harmony, MN in southern Fillmore County as part of the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) Springshed Mapping project. The traces described in this report were conducted to improve the delineation of the springsheds in the Harmony area. This report covers traces completed in October 2007, June 2009, and November 2010. Tracing had been completed in the vicinity previously for the ENRTF-Springshed project in the spring of 2008 (Green et al., 2008) and fall of 2008 (Green et al., 2009); as part of the ENRTF-Hydraulic Impacts of Quarries and Pits project from 2002-2004 (Green et al, 2003); in 1997 (Alexander et al, 1997); during the Fillmore County Geologic Atlas Project in 1993 and 1994 (Alexander et al, 1995); and for earlier work summarized in Alexander and others (1995) and by Kingston (1943).
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    Dye Trace Report on Campbell Valley Creek Houston and Winona Counties, Minnesota 2012-2013
    (2016-12-13) Barry, John D; Green, Jeffrey A; Ustipak, Kelsi R; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
    The karst lands of southeast Minnesota contain more than one hundred trout streams that receive perennial discharge from Paleozoic bedrock springs. Several of the Paleozoic bedrock units that provide discharge are karst aquifers. Field investigations into the flow characteristics of these formations have been conducted using fluorescent dyes to map groundwater springsheds and characterize groundwater flow velocities for use in water resource protection. Campbell Valley Creek is one of these designated trout streams. The creek is located roughly 64 kilometers (40 mi.) southeast of Rochester, Minnesota in southern Winona and northern Houston counties (Figure 1). Two dye traces were conducted to add to delineated springsheds of the region as part of the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) Springshed Mapping project.
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    Dye Trace Report on the Groundwater Springsheds of Roaring Spring and Frego Creek near Canton, Minnesota; Traces: September 2009, March 2010, and February 2011; Fillmore County, Minnesota
    (2016-02) Green, Jeffrey A; Luhmann, Andrew; Alexander, Scott C; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
    Dye traces were conducted in and around the area of Canton, MN in southern Fillmore County as part of the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF) funded Springshed Mapping project. This report covers traces done in September 2009, March 2010, and February 2011. Tracing had been done in the area previously in the spring of 2008 (Green et al., 2008) and 2009 (Green et al., 2009) under the auspices of the ENRTF-Springshed Project, spring of 2007 for the South Fork Root River watershed project (Green, 2007), in 1993 and 1994 during the Fillmore County Geologic Atlas Project and earlier work summarized in Alexander et al. (1995) and by Kingston and Janssen (1941).
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    Dye Tracing to Camp Coldwater Spring, Minneapolis, MN
    (Minnesota Ground Water Association Newsletter Volume 20 Number 4: December 2001 Page 4 - 6. Additional results from Sophie Kasahara's Senior Thesis "A Hydrological Study of Coldwater Spring, Minneapolis, MN." - UM Geoengineering Department, 2016., 2017-06) Alexander Jr., E. Calvin; Alexander, Scott C; Barr, Kelton D; Kasahara, Sophie M; Wheeler, Betty J
    Camp Coldwater Spring is a ~6.3 liter/sec spring that emerges from a Platteville Limestone ledge at the top of the west side of the Mississippi River gorge. It was the original water supply for Ft. Snelling in the early-mid 1800’s and is a registered Minnesota State Landmark. Potential impacts from nearby highway construction led to two successful dye traces to help define the groundwater basin feeding the spring. These traces are the first traces through the Platteville in the Twin Cities. Dye input trenches were dug with a backhoe to the top of the water table. Input B reached the top of the Platteville and the water table was a few inches above the bedrock surface. Eosin dye input into the trench reached Camp Coldwater Spring, 125 meters away in less than 1.5 hours. The minimum flow velocity in the fractured Platteville Limestone was 83 m/hr. Input C reached the water table while still in glaciofluvial sediments and was 305 meters from the spring. Fluorescein dye from Input C reached the spring in 16 days. The slower flow velocity is a combination of flow through the glaciofluvial sediments and through the fractured Platteville Limestone. These two positive traces demonstrate that Inputs B and C are inside the ground-watershed that supplies the Spring and support concerns about the potential impact of dewatering and construction activities on the Spring. The trace is ongoing.
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    Electronic Access to Minnesota Springs, Karst Features and Groundwater Tracing Information
    (2018-04) Green, Jeffrey A; Tipping, Robert G; Barry, John D; Brick, Gregory A; Wheeler, Betty J; Rutelonis, J Wes; Richardson, Bart C; Alexander Jr., E Calvin
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    Fountain Spring Cave Dye Trace Fillmore County, MN 2016 Dye Trace Report
    (2018-10) Larsen, Martin R; Barry, John D; Kasahara, Sophie M; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr., E Calvin
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    Gilbert Creek Dye Trace Report Wabasha County, Minnesota
    (2017-03) Green, Jeffrey A; Ustipak, Kelsi R; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
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    Groundwater Tracing in Orion, Marion and Eyota Townships of Olmsted County, Minnesota
    (2016) Larsen, Martin R; Green, Jeffrey A; Wheeler, Betty J; Kasahara, Sophie M; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
    Orion, Marion, Eyota and Pleasant Grove Townships are located in Olmsted County southeast of Rochester, Minnesota and host a significant number of mapped karst features including the Orion Sinkhole Plain. The area is intensively farmed and is increasingly residential as part of Rochester’s exurbs. The area bedrock is composed of a relatively flat upland underlain by limestone, dolomite, and silty limestone of the Middle Ordovician Stewartville, Prosser and Cummingsville Formations. The carbonates are underlain by the Decorah Shale, which forms a partial aquitard; though the Decorah is truncated by incised stream valleys. Numerous karst springs emerge just above the Decorah and form tributaries which flow to the Zumbro and North Branch Root Rivers. These regional base level rivers are incised into the St. Peter Formation and Prairie du Chien Group. Thin, discontinuous glacial sediments and loess overlie the bedrock. Groundwater is the sole source of potable water in the area. Groundwater tracing research was initiated in the area due to environmental issues related to the presence of confined animal feedlots. Dye tracing has been successfully used to define connections between water running into sinkholes or losing streams and water emerging from springs, wells or along gaining reaches of streams in the karst of southeast Minnesota for 75 years. Dye traces have proven to be singularly effective tools in helping elevate discussions among communities, landowners and farmers about surface water-groundwater interactions. Information gained helps landowners implement strategies to minimize nutrient and bacteria losses into vulnerable karst aquifers. We initiated nine traces between 2014 and 2016. Eight of the traces were positive, in that at least one connection was confirmed between the sinkhole input of the dye and a monitored spring or creek. The positive results are drawn as springshed maps illustrating these connections, and are overlain on a base map of the previous dye tracing work. The base springsheds map will be updated as new traces are completed and the map is available on-line at: http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/groundwater_section/mapping/springshed/springshed_map.pdf
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    Indian Springs Creek Dye Trace Report Houston County, Minnesota
    (2017-03) Green, Jeffrey A; Luhmann, Andrew J; Alexander, Scott C; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
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    Lewiston Interchange Dye Trace Report Winona County, Minnesota
    (2017-03) Green, Jeffrey A; Peters, Andrew J; Luhmann, Andrew J; Alexander, Scott C; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
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    The Minnesota Dye Trace Database
    (http://www.mgwa.org/mgwa-conferences/mgwa-2017-spring-conference/, 2017-04) Wheeler, Betty J; Rutelonis, J. Wes; Barry, John D; Green, Jeffrey A; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
    In the karst regions of Minnesota, groundwater tracing using fluorescent dyes has proven to be an effective method for understanding groundwater flow, travel times and interconnections with surface water (streams, creeks, etc). Dye tracing in Southeast (SE) Minnesota has a long history. The first documented traces were performed by S.P. Kingston, a public safety engineer at the Minnesota Department of Health, in the late 1930s. Kingston used fluorescent dye to discover the source of an outbreak of typhoid fever in Fillmore and Olmsted Counties and published his work in the Journal of the American Water Works Association. Additionally, Ron Spong conducted over 30 traces beginning in the 1970s across several counties in SE Minnesota. Most of the dye tracing in Minnesota since that time has been a collaborative effort between the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources but stakeholders such as towns and cities, soil and water conservation districts, the local caving community and generations of students have often been involved as well. Dye tracing involves using fluorescent dyes to determine groundwater flow direction and velocity by pouring dye into a sinkhole or sinking stream and observing where it emerges (usually at a spring or multiple springs) after flowing through the karst conduit system. Positive sampling results allow scientists to infer approximate groundwater flowpaths, calculate minimum velocities, and begin to delineate springsheds. In general, springsheds are composed of Groundwater Springsheds (GwS), Surface Water Springsheds (SWS) and Regional Groundwater Springsheds (RGS) and understanding their combined extent is important for the protection of trout stream resources and other ecosystems in Minnesota karst areas and elsewhere. Additionally, water protection and management associated with spill response, agriculture, water demands and landscape alteration require effective means for delineating springsheds. Many dye traces and the resulting springshed delineations have been accomplished in SE Minnesota, but the results and reporting have had varying degrees of accessibility. The goal of the current project is to produce a web accessible database containing as many groundwater dye tracing results as possible. This effort involves mining trace reports, data tables, and field notes and organizing their contents using GIS. The DNR Dye Trace Reports webpage currently has a list of links to historic and recent dye trace reports that are catalogued and made publicly available on the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy. Geospatial data (dye input points, inferred groundwater flowpaths and springshed delineations) are re-evaluated in some cases, quality checked, and then digitized. Eventually this data will be made available via the DNR webpage in the form of an accessible ArcGIS Online map interface where users can query, select and view the data and associated reports with the click of a button. This database is intended to be used in conjunction with the Minnesota Karst Features Database (Gao, Yongli. (2002) “Karst Feature Distribution in Southeastern Minnesota: Extending GIS-Based Database for Spatial Analysis and Resource Management.”. PhD Thesis, Univ. of Minn., Geology & Geophysics Dept., 210 p.) and will likely be incorporated into an enterprise system of spatially related databases built upon the Karst Feature Database and the Minnesota Spring Inventory. The Minnesota Dye Trace Database is an important element to manage and protect groundwater in Minnesota. Revitalizing dye tracing data, making the documentation available, and creating a user friendly interface will add context to the knowledge and expansive inventory of karst in Minnesota and will hopefully allow this significant dataset to live in perpetuity for generations of scientists and policy makers to come.
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    Shady Creek 13 Nov 2012 Dye Trace Report Fillmore County, Minnesota
    (2017-04-20) Ustipak, Kelsi R; Green, Jeffrey A; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin
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    South Branch Whitewater River Valley Dye Trace Report Elba/Altura, Winona County, Minnesota
    (2017-06-30) Ustipak, Kelsi R; Green, Jeffrey A; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin; Rutelonis, J. Wes
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    Spring Valley Caverns Dye Traces Report, Initiated on 20 May 2006
    (2017-03-27) Alexander, Scott C; Wheeler, Betty J; Alexander Jr., E. Calvin