PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF A GROUNDWATER RESOURCE INVESTIGATION IN A FRACTURED ROCK AQUIFER, WESTERN MONTANA

2004 Denver Annual Meeting (November 7–10, 2004)
Paper No. 54-10

Presentation Time: 1:30 PM-5:30 PM
PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF A GROUNDWATER RESOURCE INVESTIGATION IN A FRACTURED ROCK AQUIFER, WESTERN MONTANA
JOY, Susan E.¹, HARVALA, Jon², and WOESSNER, William¹, (1) Geology, Univ of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, susan.joy@gmail.com, (2) Missoula City-County Health Department/Water Quality District, 301 West Alder, Missoula, MT 59802 The Blue Mountain region, located southwest of the city of Missoula, Montana, is underlain by a fractured bedrock aquifer. The lithology of the aquifer includes argillites, quartzites, and siltites of the Missoula Group of the Precambrian Belt Supergroup. The area is developed with domestic wells and on site sewage disposal sites. This study investigates the hydrologic system of the fractured rock aquifer, including the occurrence, transport, and fate of nitrate and bacteria in the Blue Mountain aquifer. Preliminary work indicates a portion of the aquifer is vulnerable to septic effluent. Combined nitrate and nitrite concentrations collected from monitoring wells in the area range from less than .04mg/L to 15.52mg/L. Our work includes establishing a monitoring well network, creating potentiometric surface maps, obtaining general aqueous chemistry, generating a water balance, and developing a structural map of the region. Final results from this study will be used by Blue Mountain residents and the Missoula City/County Health Department to evaluate future growth and anticipate water needs.
2004 Denver Annual Meeting (November 7–10, 2004) General Information for this Meeting

Session No. 54--Booth# 88 The Occurrence, Storage, and Flow of Groundwater in Mountainous Terrain (Posters) Colorado Convention Center: Exhibit Hall 1:30 PM-5:30 PM, Sunday, November 7, 2004 Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 36, No. 5, p. 142
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