ESTIMATING THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF GROUNDWATER SALINITY IN THE NEW JERSEY NORTHEAST WATER REGION USING GEOSTATISTICAL METHODS

Increase in groundwater salinity can result in the reduced availability of freshwater which is an important source of water for many in the US. Deicing road salts accounts for one of the major ways salts are released into numerous water resources, as most of the salts produced and imported in the US are used for deicing purposes. Although, these salts are effective in ensuring safe conditions during icy and snowy periods, their accumulated runoffs over time are negatively impacting water resources and surrounding ecosystems. Evidence in watersheds suggests that groundwater compositions are shifting to a NaCl more dominant species. This study focuses on the 3 watershed management areas (WMAs) in the Northeast water region of New Jersey; Hackensack, Pompton, Lower Passaic, and Upper Passaic WMAs. The study aims to explore the spatial extent of road deicers by mapping out water salinity in the water region. Combined with overlays of major roads in the region, geostatistical tool such as kriging, is used to estimate the spatial distribution of salinity in the region. Among other things, correlation of these roads with salinity values in the region can be established from the analyses in this study.

Keywords: Groundwater, Salinity, Deicing, Kriging