Publications Catalog

The southwest Wisconsin groundwater and geology study (SWIGG) was a cooperative effort between Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette county governments, with scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, and WGNHS. Researchers tested water quality in hundreds of private water wells across the three...

The Central Sands nitrate and neonicotinoid database consists of over 100,000 measurements of nitrate and neonicotinoid concentrations in groundwater from wells across Adams, Juneau, Marquette, Portage, Waushara, and Wood counties collected between 1953 and 2021. These counties comprise the Central Sands Groundwater County Collaborative (GSGCC), which...

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...

This report documents work completed as part of a grant from the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Groundwater Monitoring Network (NGWMN) program. It provides an overview of the Wisconsin Groundwater-Level Monitoring Network (WGLMN) and provides detailed description of well evaluation and repair activities, and drilling of new monitoring wells across the...

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...

Computerized groundwater-flow models provide scientific analysis of water resources. Since its initial development in 2014, the Columbia County groundwater-flow model has been used to respond to requests for information about specific groundwater and land use issues. This companion report to the Hydrogeology and simulation of groundwater flow in Columbia...

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...

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...

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...

Documentation of two studies looking at the Silurian dolomite aquifer in northeastern Wisconsin. Researchers quantified the extent of contamination from coliform bacteria, E. coli, and nitrate in Kewaunee County’s private wells. They also examined how wastewater from septic systems and livestock manure interact with environmental conditions and geology...

Documentation of variations in groundwater levels and selected water-quality parameters in four wells completed in the Silurian dolomite aquifer in northeast Wisconsin (Brown, Calumet, Kewaunee, and Manitowoc Counties).

Description of the field methods and data management procedures used to produce the Springs Inventory (see Bulletin 113).

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.

An overview of some of the projects worked on by the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey in 2018.

Results of a comprehensive review and analysis of groundwater resources in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. The study was divided by location into four reports corresponding to the four main land units: Medford, Nicolet, Park Falls, and Washburn/Great Divide. Each report describes the results of the inventory, modeling, and analysis.

The authors of this open-file report scoured the literature for previous studies about the Central Sands area. This bibliography provides an overview of available research related to the hydrogeologic setting and water-budget components of the Central Sands Lakes Study (CSLS).

In 2017, Survey staff worked in 69 Wisconsin counties. We mapped geology, inventoried springs, and created groundwater models. We provide natural resource managers – land and water conservationists, county boards, and water utilities – with the information they need to protect and share their resources. This publication provides a summary of some of the...