division - section page

GROUNDWATER

	Groundwater is an important natural resource in Vermont. Vermont’s population depends on groundwater for their drinking water supply. Groundwater is also used for manufacturing, agriculture, commercial enterprises, and to support aquatic habitat (“The Status of Groundwater and Aquifer Mapping in Vermont, January 2003” (pdf)). Groundwater is dynamic, responding to internal and external conditions. Groundwater quantity and quality varies with climate, precipitation, overlying land use, and the rock and soil types through which it moves. Vermont's geology, characterized by multiply deformed (folded, faulted, fractured) rock and a variety of unconsolidated glacial deposits, is the vessel for Vermont’s groundwater resources. The Survey focuses on mapping bedrock and surficial deposits and obtaining data about this vessel.
	Statewide Analyses of Groundwater Statewide maps (2009, 2010). The Vermont Geological Survey compiled and assessed existing datasets (bedrock and surficial maps plus water well, soils and elevation data) related to groundwater in Vermont. Groundwater favorability maps for aquifers in surficial materials are in progress. The well interference study: Evaluation of public water supply pump tests by VT Rural Water Assoc. to determine any cumulative interference areas. A water use study by Medalie and Horn, 2010, Estimated Water Withdrawals and Return Flows in Vermont in 2005 and 2020: USGS study which identifies areas of increased groundwater use. Also see the USGS Water Use web page
	County Groundwater Resource Maps : As part of the statewide analysis of groundwater resources, the VGS is producing county maps at a scale of 1:100,000. Town Groundwater Resource Projects and Maps
	Geology, Groundwater and Human Health - Naturally Occuring Elements of Concern (ex. arsenic, radionucliides)
	Vermont Maps and Reports New surficial and bedrock maps are the base for derivative groundwater projects. Town projects/maps index page or use menu at left. Maps include aquifer recharge potential, overburden thickness, flow lines, and buried aquifers. Environmental Geology Series Ground Water Favorability Maps 1:125,000 scale reconnaissance maps published between 1966 and 1974 Ground Water Availability Reports 1972-1977 reports from VT Dept. of Water Resources, USGS and USDA
	Groundwater Links at DEC Water well driller's reports , Water Supply Div. provides subsurface information, yield, depth etc. Vermont groundwater protection and rules , Water Supply Div. Source Water Protection Program , Water Supply Div. Waste Management (VT DEC) Interactive Database 2004 Water Quality Assessment Report (pdf) includes a section on Groundwater Monitoring and Assessments, VT Water Quality Division.
Other Links: Arsenic in groundwater , USGS Ground Water, USGS Ground Water and the Rural Homeowner, USGS Geology & Groundwater Science Presentation, 2008 National Ground Water Association National Water Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) New England Water Pollution Interstate Control Commission (NEIWPC) Sand and Gravel Aquifers, Maine Geological Survey Seismic Refraction Profiling Fact Sheet, Maine Geological Survey Interstate technology and Regulatory Council - new technologies for environmental remediation, guidance docs, and training Vermont Agency of Agriculture - agricultural water quality Geothermal Energy and Groundwater Geothermal Energy Association The Future of Geothermal Energy (14.1 mb pdf), MIT, 2006 Renewable Energy Atlas of Vermont (VT Sustainable Jobs Fund and others) Outside the Loop - A newsletter for Geothermal Heat Pump Designers and Installers with a link to using geological information to characterize sites