HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE WHITE PINE BOG NATURE PRESERVE, BURTON TOWNSHIP, GEAUGA COUNTY, OHIO

The White Pine Bog Nature Preserve, located in Burton Township in southwestern Geauga County, Ohio, is the only remaining old-growth white pine boreal bog in Ohio. The Preserve is situated in an interlobate area between the Grand River and Cuyahoga lobes and overlies an outwash-filled buried valley. Borings show that meltwater from Hiram(?) ice eroded through older late Wisconsinan Kent Till and outwash. Lacustrine deposition began as meltwater flow diminished; peat and marl overlie gray lacustrine clays.

During summer of 2003, 8 shallow piezometers, 6 deep piezometers, and two stream gages were installed within the Preserve. Shallow piezometers, ranging from 3 to 8 ft in depth, terminate in peat. Piezometers, 10 to 30 ft deep, penetrate the upper part of a lacustrine aquifer. Water-level records show possible diurnal fluctuations in the peat, and the piezometric surface of the lacustrine aquifer is above the surface of the ground. Analysis of data from slug and recovery tests of the lacustrine aquifer yielded transmissivities that range from 6 to 56 gpd/ft and hydraulic conductivities that range from 1.1 to 2.5 ft/d. Recalculation of transmissivities and storage coefficients of the buried outwash aquifer using log-log plots instead of semi-log plots of pumping test data yielded values less than those of a consultant. Transmissivity values range from 21,700 to 92,200 gpd/ft from 6 observation wells. Storage coefficients are 0.003 and 0.009 for confined conditions and 0.08 for water-table conditions. These values reflect the variability common in outwash aquifers. Surface inflow through Lake Kelso ceased during this past summer, but the major inflow through Lake Burton continued.

Seasonal water samples were collected from piezometers and at locations of surface inflow and outflow. The pH of the samples ranged from 5.6 to 8.4, and alkalinity varied from 26 to 268 mg/L. All water samples are a calcium-bicarbonate type reflecting the calcareous nature of the sediments.