DEEP RESISTIVITY EVALUATION OF FAULTED DOLOMITE FOR PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY

Water supply in parts of southern Oklahoma is limited in regions with granitic bedrock near the surface. In this region much of the water obtained is surface water discharging from the carbonate Arbuckle Group. The purpose of the research conducted in this study was to site a reliable water supply well in the Arbuckle Group to supply a water district south of the town of Connerville, OK. Previous hydrogeology studies show that the area is a complex faulted dolomite with uncertainty in fault location and properties. Previous work has shown that the karstified faults of this aquifer are the best locations for high yield wells at depths greater than 30 meters (100 feet). In order to evaluate the faults in the area, a 1110 meter (3640 feet) electrical resistivity line was used to produce an electrical image with a depth of investigation of 220 meters (730 feet) beneath the subsurface. Analysis of this data indicates that the faulting in the area is more complex than previously thought. Test drilling is progress to characterize the hydrogeologic properties of the largest fault zone in the study domain. If this deep resistivity evaluation provides a good targeting technique in this complex aquifer, other communities in the area could improve water management for the aquifer.