Long-Term Drought Solutions in Georgia: Well Fields and Drinking Water Reservoirs

Georgia has just experienced a record-breaking drought and found itself ill prepared to deal with the situation. One of seven potential water resource proposals for dealing with the next Georgia drought is to develop new regional reservoirs and well fields in north Georgia (Hollabaugh, 2008). Traditionally water officials in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge of north Georgia have put much of their efforts into developing surface reservoirs for ever growing demand for drinking water, feeling that groundwater well yields in these physiographic provinces are relatively small. However, for ~ 40 years UWG professor Tom Crawford and a few other geologists have been very successful in using detailed geologic mapping to locate drilling sites for highly productive Piedmont wells. The north Georgia drought of 2008 has spurred on plans to construct 12 new reservoirs in the state. Many additional reservoirs are in the planning stage. The purpose of our research is to offer a cost-effective alternative to building reservoirs in certain geologic situations.

Well fields, such as the one in Lawrenceville, Georgia, that are located in Piedmont foliation fracture systems may have sustained yields of 100 to 400 gallons per minute (GPM). Key factors in locating wells are the occurrence of amphibolite and biotite gneiss and foliation fracture systems. Our proposal is to carry the knowledge base forward and prospect for well field sites in basins in Piedmont watersheds. We propose that well fields within certain basins would be much more cost effective and conserve more water than building large reservoirs in the same watershed. In positive situations, well fields could be cost effective, serve as either primary or backup source of drinking water, and be more environmentally friendly than other new source of drinking water. Long-term monitoring after 72 hour pump tests is required to prevent mining of groundwater.