The effect of the Baton Rouge fault on flow in the Abita aquifer of southeastern Louisiana

Conference · Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:6078083

Rapp, T R ^[1]

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1. Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, LA (United States)

The ground-water resources of southern Tangipahoa Parish and adjacent areas were studied to determine their potential for development as an alternative to the Mississippi River as a water supply source for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The study area, in southeastern Louisiana, is underlain by eight major aquifers and is crossed by a fault zone, referred to as the Baton Rouge fault. The fault restricts the flow of water in the aquifers of intermediate depth. Data from a test well drilling program and geophysical logs of a nearby oil well indicated that a significant freshwater aquifer that provides water to a nearby municipality was actually the Abita aquifer and not the Covington aquifer, as was previously thought. The Abita aquifer, a shallower aquifer with a lower hydraulic conductivity, had been displaced to a position equivalent to that of the Covington aquifer by the Baton Rouge fault. An additional final test well drilled south of the fault penetrated the leading edge of a wedge-shaped saltwater interface. Analysis of lithologic and geophysical logs indicated that the Abita aquifer has a well-sorted, clean sand at the base of the aquifer and substantial amounts of clay in the top two-thirds of the aquifer. Geophysical logs of oil test wells south of the fault zone indicated that the sand thickens substantially to the south. The thicker sand south of a public supply well that pumps water from the Abita aquifer and the higher hydraulic conductivity of the lower part of the aquifer where the saline water was detected indicate that a much larger percentage of recharge to the public supply well may come from the south than was originally thought.

• OSTI ID: 6078083
• Report Number(s): CONF-9304188-; CODEN: GAAPBC
• Journal Information: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:4; Conference: 42. annual Geological Society of America (GSA) Southeastern Section meeting, Tallahassee, FL (United States), 1-2 Apr 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
AQUIFERS
HYDROLOGY
LOUISIANA
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
GROUND WATER
HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY
LITHOLOGY
OIL WELLS
RECHARGE
RESOURCE POTENTIAL
TESTING
WATER RESOURCES
WATER WELLS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLOGY
RESOURCES
SURVEYS
USA
WATER
WELLS
580000* - Geosciences