294-1 Aquifer Yield Map of Ohio

Session: Geologic Mapping (Posters)

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The Aquifer Yield Map of Ohio is the newest aquifer yield publication released by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). This publication was mapped statewide at a 1:10,000 scale using a seamless mapping approach. Yield ranges from previous publications have been standardized for the Aquifer Yield Map of Ohio to ensure consistent rating of aquifer yields across the state. Yield ranges spanned from 0–3 to ≥1000 gallons per minute. Aquifer types have also been refined to include well-known mappable units (e.g., Columbus Limestone) and lithologic and hydrogeologic units distinguished by age (e.g., Pennsylvanian-age sandstones). The Aquifer Yield Map of Ohio was published alongside the Hydraulic Conductivity Map of Ohio.

Aquifer yield was mapped for both the primary and secondary aquifers in the state. A primary aquifer is defined as the more-utilized, higher-yielding aquifer, unless consideration(s) such as its depth or its groundwater quality disqualified it. A secondary aquifer is defined as the lower-yielding or alternate aquifer that may be suitable for some uses. Data compiled from pumping tests, slug tests, digitized and georeferenced yield maps, environmental consultant reports, U.S. Geological Survey publications, and published scientific papers provided information on aquifers and their expected yields. Well-completion tests from high-capacity wells and pumping tests were utilized as sources of highly accurate yield estimates. Completion-test rates and sustainable yield values of lower-capacity wells from the ODNR Water Well Database provided the largest quantity and spatial distribution of yield data, but were also the most susceptible to filing, transcribing, and digitizing errors. In many areas, these wells do not utilize the full potential yield of the aquifer, so they were weighted less heavily than other data sets and publications to avoid systemic underrepresentation of mapped yields.

This map serves as an update to many previous ODNR publications, providing methodologically consistent information regarding the size, shape, and yield of primary and secondary aquifers at a high spatial resolution. Data from over 250,000 newly incorporated water wells provided valuable information on mapped aquifers unavailable prior to this map. The map has a wide range of uses, particularly for drillers, municipalities, homeowners, industrial users, and agricultural users, and will facilitate the assessment of groundwater availability throughout the state.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-7308

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