The Mahomet Aquifer is the most important aquifer in eastern Illinois. Consisting of sand and gravel, it is part of the buried Mahomet Bed Valley. It underlies 15 districts and ranges from 50 to 200 feet (15 to 60 m) thick. It supplies more than 100,000,000 US gallons (380,000 m 3 ) per day of groundwater for public water use, industrial supplies, and irrigation.
Video Mahomet Aquifer
Hydrogeological settings
The Mahomet Aquifer consists of sand and gravel deposited by glacial melt water flowing westward along the Mahomet Bedstone Valley during the Pre-Illinoian glacial episode. This basin basin forms the western part of the Mahomet Valley System of Mahomet that extends to Illinois from Indiana (Larson et al., 2003). Most of the Mahomet Aquifer sand and pebbles come from the bottom of the Banner Formation and belong to the Mahomet Sanders buried 100 to 200 feet (30 to 60 m) below the soil surface.
The aquifers underlie the 1.26 million acre (5,100 km²) land in Illinois's middle-east and cover 15 districts (Panno and Korab, 2000). The Mahomet ranges from four to fifteen miles (24 km) wide (6 to 24 km) and 50 to 200 feet (15 to 60 m) thick, although the average thickness is 100 feet (30 m). Unlimited aquifer except in Mason, Menard, and Tazewell County in the west near the Illinois River.
Maps Mahomet Aquifer
Groundwater use
The Mahomet Aquifer supplies about 850,000 people with water. The Illinois Bureau of the Budget Project that the population may increase to about 910,000 people by 2020. An estimated 100,000,000 gallons (380,000 m 3 ) per day of groundwater is pumped from the aquifer into municipal, domestic, commercial, , industrial, and rural (Larson et al., 2003). Approximately 45% of water taken is consumed by the public, 29% by industry, and 18% by commercial users (Panno and Korab, 2000). The remaining percentage is for other uses such as cattle and irrigation.
With the increasing population and economic growth in the region, water demand is also increasing. Concerns about additional groundwater withdrawal and the resulting impact have led to planning, management, and ground water studies. The Illinois State Geological Survey and the Illinois Water Survey have collected data showing a decrease in water levels in certain parts of Mahomet Aquifer.
Water quality
Water quality at Mahomet Aquifer is high in mineral content and dissolved iron, which is typical of all ground water. None of this poses a human health risk. One of the contaminants of concern is arsenic that occurs naturally. The soluble arsenic of the pyrite is oxidized. Concentrations can range from 20 to 70 parts per billion (ppb), which exceeds the new standards adopted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (Panno and Korab, 2000). The new standard is 10 ppb. The water supply system must meet new standards starting January 23, 2006 (EPA, 2004). Fortunately, arsenic can be effectively removed with commercially available water treatment systems.
Consortium of Mahomet Aquifer
The Mahomet Aquifer Consortium (MAC) was formed in 1998 with the aim of developing a study and management plan for aquifers. This group consists of 70 representatives from the public, water authorities, water companies, professional groups, and local, regional, state and federal governments. The goal of the MAC is to study the aquifer so that decisions can be made about meeting future water demand as populations increase and extreme weather events occur (MAC, 2004).
References
- Panno, S.V. and H. Korab. 2000. The Mahomet Aquifer. The Illinois Steward, v. 9, no. 1, p.Ã, 19-21.
- Larson, D. R., E. Mehnert, and B. L. Herzog. June 2003. The Mahomet Aquifer: A Transboundary Resource in the Middle East of Illinois. Water International , v. 28, no. 2, p.Ã, 170-180.
External links
- Current use by Champaign County against an unsustainable Mahomet Aquifer
- Consortium of Mahomet Aquifer
- Plans to Improve Water Supply Planning and Management in Central-Eastern Illinois (pdf)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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