Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Groundwater flow and capture zone analysis of the Central Passaic River Basin, New Jersey

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Geology

Abstract

Delineating capture zones of pumping wells is an important part of safe drinking water and well protection programs. Capture zones or contributing areas of a groundwater extraction well are the parts of the aquifer recharge areas from which the wells draw their water. Their extent and location depend on the hydrogeologic conditions such as groundwater recharge, pumping scenario and the aquifer properties such as hydraulic conductivity, porosity, heterogeneity of the medium and hydraulic gradient. Different methods of delineation can be used depending on the complexity of the hydrogeologic conditions. In this study, a 3-dimensional transient numerical MODFLOW model was developed for the Central Passaic River Basin (CPRB), and used with a MODPATH particle tracking code to determine 3-dimensional transient capture zones. Analytically calculated capture zones from previous studies at the site were compared with the new numerically simulated capture zones. The study results revealed that the analytical solution was more conservative, estimating larger capture zones than the numerical models. Of all the parameters that can impact the size, shape and location of a capture zone, the hydraulic conductivity is one of the most critical. Capture zones tend to be smaller in lower hydraulic conductivity areas.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahern JA (2005) Ground-water capture-zone delineation: method comparison in synthetic case studies and a field example on Fort Wainwright, Alaska. MS Thesis. University of Alaska Fairbanks, 153 pp

  • Ahern JA, Lilly MR, Hinzman LD (2003) Ground-water capture zone delineation of hypothetical systems: methodology comparison and real-world applications.American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2003, abstract #H21E-0892

  • Alley WM, Reilly TE, Franke OE (1999) Sustainability of groundwater resources. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1186, Denver, Colorado, 79 pp

  • Canace R, Wayne H (1989) Bedrock topography and profiles of valley-fill deposits in the Ramapo River Valley, New Jersey. New Jersey Map Series 88-6, 2 pls, scale 1:24,000

  • Canter L, Knox R, Fairchild D (1987) Groundwater quality protection. Lewis Publishers, Inc. 562 pp

  • Charles EG, Behroozi C, Schooley J, Hoffman JL (1993) GSR 32––a method for evaluating ground-water-recharge areas in New Jersey, 1993, 95 pp

  • Cole BE, Silliman SE (2000) Utility of simple models for capture zone delineation in heterogeneous unconfined aquifers. Ground Water 38(5):665–672

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Festger AD, Walter GR (2002) The capture efficiency map: the capture zone under time-varying flow. Ground Water 40(6):619–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forster CB, Lachmar TE, Oliver D S (1997) Comparison of models for delineating wellhead protection areas in confined to semi-confined aquifers in alluvial basins. Ground Water 35(4):689–697

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frind EO, Muhammad DS, Molson JW (2002) Delineation of three-dimensional well capture zones for complex multi-aquifer systems. Ground Water 40(6):586–598

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geraphty & Miller, Inc (1976) Groundwater conditions, City of East Orange water reserve: Port Washington. N.Y., Geraphty & Miller, consultant’s report prepared for the City of East Orange, New Jersey, 79 pp

  • Haitjema HM, Mitchell-Bruker S (2005) Are water tables a subdued replica of the topography? Ground Water 43(6):781–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman JL (1989) Simulated drawdowns, 1972–1995, in the Pleistocene buried-valley aquifers in the southern Essex and the southeastern Morris Counties, New Jersey.NJ Open-File OF-89-1, 26 pp

  • Hoffman JL, Hall DW, Stanford SD, Ghatge SL (2002) Hydrogeology of the Central Passaic River Basin. Unpublished report on file with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

  • Hoffman JL, Quinlan J (1994) Groundwater withdrawal and water-level data for the Central Passaic River Basin, New Jersey, 1898–1990: NJ Geological Survey Report GSR–34, 78pp

  • Kümel HB (1919) The problem of the Passaic meadows: NJ Department of Conservation and Economics, 18pp

  • Kupfersberger H, Frank J (2005) On the value of including transient data in the delineation of the capture zone of a well. Geophysical Research Abstracts, 7:08604

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonald MG, Harbaugh, AW (1988) A modular three-dimensional finite difference ground-water flow model: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques of Water-Resources Investigation, book 6, Chap. A1, 586 p

  • Meisler H (1976) Computer simulation model of the Pleistocene valley-fill aquifer in southeastern Essex and southeastern Morris Counties. New Jersey, US Geological Survey Water-Resource Investigation, pp 76–25

  • Morrissey DJ (1989) Estimation of the recharge area contributing water to a pumped well in a glacial-drift, river-valley aquifer: U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 2338, 41 pp

  • Ophori DU, Tóth J (1990) Relationships in regional groundwater discharge to streams: Analysis by numerical simulation. J Hydrol 119(1–4):215–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orzol LL, Truini M (1999) Evaluation of factors that influence estimated zones of transport for six municipal wells in Clark County, Washington.12/13/99-01: 46:15.WRIR97- U.S. Geological Survey

  • Pollock DW (1994) User’s guide for MODPATH/MODPATH-PLOT, Version3: a particle tracking post-processing package for MODFLOW, the U.S. Geological Survey finite-difference groundwater flow model, Open-File Report 94-464, U.S. Geological Survey, 1994

  • Ponce VM (2006) Sustainable yield of groundwater. http://groundwater.sdsu.edu

  • Ramanarayanan TS, Storm DE, Smolen MD (1995) Seasonal pumping variation effects on wellhead protection area delineation. Water Resour Bull 31(3):421–430

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reilly TE, Pollock DW (1993) Factors affecting areas contributing recharge to wells in shallow aquifers: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2412

  • Reilly TE, Pollock DW (1995) Effect of seasonal and long-term changes in stress on sources of water to wells: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2445, 25 pp

  • Risser DW, Madden TM (1994) Evaluation of methods for delineating areas that contribute water to wells completed in valley-fill aquifers in Pennsylvania: U.S. Geological Survey, Open-File Report 92–635, 82 pp

  • Rock G, Kupfersberger H (2002) Numerical delineation of transient capture zone. J Hydrol 269(3–4):134–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seaber PR, Kapinos FP, Knapp GL (1987) Hydrologic Units Maps. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2294, 63 pp

  • Spayd SE, Johnson SW (2003) Guidelines for delineation of well head protection areas in New Jersey, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Geological Survey, Trenton

  • Stanford SD, Witte RW, Harper DP (1990) Hydrogeologic character and thickness of the glacial sediment of New Jersey Geological Survey Open File Map 3

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1987) Guidelines for delineation of wellhead protection areas. USEPA Washington, DC. EPA 440/6-87/010, pp 2–18

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, NJ, 07043, USA

    Fatoumata Barry & Duke Ophori

  2. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, P.O. Box 427, Trenton, NJ, 08625, USA

    Fatoumata Barry, Jeffrey Hoffman & Robert Canace

Authors
  1. Fatoumata Barry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Duke Ophori
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jeffrey Hoffman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Robert Canace
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Duke Ophori.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barry, F., Ophori, D., Hoffman, J. et al. Groundwater flow and capture zone analysis of the Central Passaic River Basin, New Jersey. Environ Geol 56, 1593–1603 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1257-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-008-1257-5

Keyword

Search

Navigation