Environmental Health - Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have been studying the long-term migration of phosphorus in a subsurface plume of treated sewage at the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program's research site located in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The ground-water contamination resulted from 60 years of disposal of treated sewage to infiltration ponds at the Massachusetts Military Reservation. Phosphorus is a common constituent of agricultural fertilizers, manure, and organic wastes in sewage and industrial effluent. Excess phosphorus in lakes is a common cause of eutrophication. The observed extent of the phosphorus plume and the interaction of the plume with Ashumet Pond, a glacial kettle pond, has challenged scientists to re-evaluate their understanding of the mobility of phosphorus in ground water and of interactions between ground water and surface water.
Bussey, K.W., and Walter, D.A., 1996, Spatial and temporal distribution of specific conductance, boron, and phosphorus in a sewage-contaminated aquifer near Ashumet Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 96-472, 44 p.
LeBlanc, D.R., 1984, Sewage plume in a sand and gravel aquifer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2218, p. 28.
McCobb, T.D., LeBlanc, D.R., Walter, D.A., Hess, K.M., Kent, D.B., and Smith, R.L., 2003, Phosphorus in a ground-water contaminant plume discharge to Ashumet Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1999: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4306, 70 p.
Parkhurst, D.L., Stollenwerk, K.G., and Colman, J.A., 2003, Reactive-transport simulation of phosphorus in the sewage plume at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4017, 33 p.
Stollenwerk, K.G., 1996, Simulation of phosphate transport in sewage-contaminated groundwater, Cape Cod, Massachusetts: Applied Geochemistry, v. 11, no. 1-2, p. 317-324, doi:10.1016/0883-2927(95)00041-0.
Stollenwerk, K.G., and Parkhurst, D.L., 1999, Modeling the evolution and natural remediation of a ground-water sewage plume, in Morganwalp, D.W., and Buxton, H.T., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program--Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume 3 of 3--Subsurface Contamination from Point Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4018C, p. 371-381.
Walter, D.A., and LeBlanc, D.R., 1997, Geochemical and hydrologic considerations in remediating phosphorus-contaminated ground water in a sewage plume near Ashumet Pond, Cape Cod Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 97-202, 20 p.
Walter, D.A., LeBlanc, D.R., Stollenwerk, K.G., and Campo, K.W., 1999, Phosphorus transport in sewage-contaminated ground water, Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in Morganwalp, D.W., and Buxton, H.T., eds., U.S. Geological Survey Toxic Substances Hydrology Program--Proceedings of the Technical Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina, March 8-12, 1999--Volume 3 of 3--Subsurface Contamination from Point Sources: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4018C, p. 305-315.
Walter, D.A., Rea, B.A., Stollenwerk, K.G., and Savoie, J., 1996, Geochemical and hydrologic controls on phosphorus transport in a sewage-contaminated sand and gravel aquifer near Ashumet Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2463, 89 p.
Ground Water and Surface Water A Single Resource, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1139 (see figure 4).
Winter, T.C., 1999, Relation of streams, lakes, and wetlands to groundwater flow systems: Hydrogeology Journal, v. 7, no. 1, p. 28-45.
Winter, Thomas C., 2001, Ground water and surface Water: The linkage tightens, but challenges remain: Hydrological Processes, v. 15, no. 18. p. 3605-3606.
Pfannkuch, H.O., and Winter, T.C., 1984, Effect of anisotropy and groundwater system geometry on seepage through lakebeds--1. analog and dimensional analysis: Journal of Hydrology, v. 75, no. 1-4, p. 213-237, doi:10.1016/0022-1694(84)90051-9.
Winter, T.C., and Pfannkuch, H.O., 1984, Effect of anisotropy and groundwater system geometry on seepage through lakebeds--2. numerical simulation analysis: Journal of Hydrology, v. 75, no. 1-4, p. 239-253, doi:10.1016/0022-1694(84)90052-0.