Publications Catalog

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (CNNF) in northern Wisconsin contains numerous groundwater-dependent water resources that may be vulnerable to potential effects of land development, mining, and climate change. In order to monitor water quality over time, 138 of the lakes, streams, wetlands, spring ponds, springs, and wells were sampled in...

Located in southeast Wisconsin, Jefferson County is almost entirely blanketed by sediments that were delivered or shaped by the ice sheet that covered this area during the last ice age. New mapping interprets the distribution of the bedrock surface that is buried beneath those glacial sediments as interpreted by three drill cores, over 13,000 well...

This report presents a county-wide inventory of flowing artesian wells in Bayfield County. Flowing artesian wells are a remarkable resource of high-quality water that both community members and tourists value. This report provides baseline water quality data that are a valuable resource for future assessments. Data collection occurred in 2022. Includes...

This report presents results from a study investigating the potential for carbon dioxide sequestration in the ancient Keweenawan sedimentary formations in northern Wisconsin. Bedrock drill core from the Copper Harbor and Nonesuch formations were examined for their properties to store carbon dioxide (Copper Harbor) and seal that carbon dioxide (Nonesuch)....

The geologic map of the Fennimore and Mount Hope quadrangles includes 1:24,000-scale mapping of both surficial and bedrock geology. The mapping was initiated to support groundwater studies in the area. The map and accompanying report present the Paleozoic bedrock stratigraphy, including structures, as well as data from three new bedrock drill cores...

The Quaternary geologic map of Waupaca County, Wisconsin, provides details about the surficial sediment and landscapes that were formed underneath and adjacent to the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the late Wisconsin Glaciation (ca. 20,000 years before present). These landscapes include lowlands underlain by glacial and postglacial lake sediment, uplands...

The sandy uplands of the Bayfield Peninsula are primary contributors to regional groundwater recharge and provide baseflow to streams in the area. Few data exist, however, to characterize upland hydrogeology or its susceptibility to groundwater contamination. Here, data from two new cores and wells, one existing well, and a lake in the sandy uplands...

The City of Waupaca, Wisconsin, uses groundwater pumped from a network of seven high-capacity wells as its municipal water supply. Recent increases in the concentration of nitrate in the municipal water supply raised questions about the source of this contamination and whether it might eventually exceed standards for drinking water. This study combines...

The WGNHS and the U.S. Geological Survey characterized the hydrogeology and developed a groundwater flow model to assess groundwater resources in Columbia County. This report describes regionally extensive aquifers and presents several extensive datasets collected from deep wells across the county. The report also documents the construction and...

The Quaternary geology of Fond du Lac County consists of glacial deposits and landforms dating to the last part of the Wisconsin Glaciation (ca. 20,000 to 12,000 yr BP) and nonglacial deposits and landforms of Holocene age (11,700 yr BP to present). Glacial till and meltwater sediment were deposited by the Green Bay and Lake Michigan Lobes of the...

Cold-water trout habitat in Wisconsin is projected to substantially decrease as a result of climate change. The extent of habitat loss depends, in part, on groundwater discharge to streams, which can provide cool-water refuges for trout. Survey hydrogeologists used field measurements and models of groundwater flow and stream temperature to evaluate how...

Dodge County lies in southeast Wisconsin, an area almost entirely covered by glacial deposits. This map interprets the distribution of the buried bedrock units across the county. Geologist Esther Stewart’s refinement of the bedrock elevation contours may help land-use planners identify areas most susceptible to groundwater contamination from applications...

Door County, the narrow peninsula in eastern Wisconsin, is home to numerous wetlands, many of which are fed by groundwater. Poor-quality groundwater discharging to a wetland can alter the ecology of the wetland and harm native plant and animal communities. This report documents a one-year study of six wetlands. Researchers recorded water quality and...

Report, database, field protocol, photos, and site sketches documenting the multi-year project inventorying springs in Wisconsin with discharge rates of at least 0.25 cubic feet per second.

Analysis of the groundwater resources in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. Includes report, five plates, and digital data.

Results of regional study characterizing the elemental composition of rocks found at the Wonewoc-Tunnel City contact interval in west-central and southwest Wisconsin.

This report documents the groundwater flow model that was developed for western Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It also presents analyses that were run to evaluate how industrial sand (frac sand) mining and irrigated agriculture--might affect the water table and base flows of nearby headwater streams.

Part of a larger regional study of the Eau Claire Formation, the core, from Dane County, Wisconsin, was tested using a portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) elemental analyzer. The report presents the data set and discusses lithologic interpretations, subsurface lithostratigraphic correlations, and hydrostratigraphic frameworks. Includes photos of the core.

The bulletin describes the state-of-the-art scientific tool that can be used to help make good decisions about high-capacity well placement and pumping, as well as land use in Wisconsin's Central Sands region. It can also be used to predict which wells and well locations would have the greatest impact on nearby lakes and streams. The user's manual...

Test hole drilled to 1,000 feet on Fort McCoy property provides data for understanding the geothermal gradient in Wisconsin and the hydrogeologic conditions found at Fort McCoy.