College Geologist Helps Town of South Hadley Look for a Reliable Source of Drinking Water

Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink? That's the fate geologist Al Werner is helping the town of South Hadley avoid. The town's faucets aren't running dry, but one of the town's two water districts is looking for a new source of water because their current source (the Quabbin Reservoir) is about to skyrocket in price.

That's where Werner's expertise helps. The geology department chair's research specialty is glacial geology and climate change, which usually takes him to the Arctic, but Werner says South Hadley's problem isn't as far removed from his other research as you might think. That's because glaciers covered South Hadley until about 14,000 years ago. When they retreated, they left a lake stretching from Connecticut to Vermont. Gravel from the melting glacier was deposited in the lake, and the area can now be tapped as a water source.

>>> Another big dig--Senior geology major Jenny Paquet with one of many sediment samples extracted from test wells drilled to enlarge South Hadley's water supply. Paquet is analyzing the samples in an independent study course she may turn into an honors thesis.

South Hadley is drilling wells in Dry Brook Hill, an area northwest of town along the Connecticut River that contains a thick deposit of these "meltwater gravels." Werner's knowledge of the area's geology helps the town sink wells in spots where groundwater is likely to be plentiful and of good quality. "Nature has left us subtle clues, but it's up to us to piece together the geologic information and interpret which areas hold the greatest potential as a water supply," he says.

During fall semester, Werner had help from geology major Jenny Paquet '97, who's analyzing aquifer material extracted during test drillings on Dry Brook Hill. The drilling apparatus yields samples five inches in diameter of everything between the topsoil and the bedrock some 290 feet below. Vertical changes in sediment character indicate changing conditions over time, and changes between wells can be used to infer the geologic history of the area. Data about changes in sediment at various depths and in different wells is plotted and correlated using subsurface mapping computer software, producing a three-dimensional geological profile of the area.

As wells are drilled and water is pumped to determine how much each can safely yield per day, Werner is also studying the chemistry of the water and making sure the new wells don't compete for water from existing wells used by South Hadley's other water district.

This town-gown cooperation benefits both parties. South Hadley foots the drilling bills for water exploration, and Werner gives the town insights about the best places to drill wells. Together, they hope to identify a large, clean, steadily flowing source of water for the whole community.