A hydrogeologic investigation of the Peedee aquifer in southeastern Pitt County, North Carolina / by Kevin F. Lincicum.
| Author/creator | Lincicum, Kevin F. author. |
| Other author | Spruill, Richard K., degree supervisor. |
| Other author | East Carolina University. Department of Geology. |
| Format | Theses and dissertations |
| Production | 2000. |
| Description | 160 leaves : illustrations (some color), color maps ; 28 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Access via ScholarShip |
| Subjects |
| Summary | Pitt County, North Carolina is underlain by thick sequences of Cretaceous age sediments that are used to supply many groundwater users. These Cretaceous age sediments are composed of the Cape Fear Formation that is overlain by the Black Creek Formation and the Peedee Formation. The Paleocene Beaufort Formation, Eocene Castle Hayne Formation, and Miocene Yorktown Formation along with various Pleistocene units compose a thinner wedge of sediment that overlies the Cretaceous units. The Cape Fear and Black Creek aquifers, composed of Cretaceous sediments, are used extensively in Pitt County. These aquifers have become an unfavorable source of water in recent years for water producers such as Eastern Pines Water Corporation (EPWC) because of declining heads, increasing demand, and high fluoride concentrations. Therefore, alternative aquifers were investigated within Pitt County. Geophysical logs (natural gamma, electrical resistivity, and spontaneous potential) were obtained from 34 locations throughout Pitt County. The Black Creek aquifer, Peedee aquifer, and Castle Hayne Aquifer System (CHAS) were correlated within the county. The CHAS was found to underlie only the far southeastern portion of the county, while the Peedee aquifer underlies the surfrcial aquifer in the southeastern half of the county. The Peedee aquifer was selected as the target aquifer because it underlies most of the EPWC service area. Pilot holes were drilled at four sites (Yankee Hall, Hollywood, Black Jack, and Simpson) in southeastern Pitt County. The stratigraphy from washed borehole cuttings and other properties such as penetration rate and drill chatter were noted. Each hole was geophysically logged using electrical resistivity, spontaneous potential, and natural gamma radiation. Test wells were constructed at each site and aquifer tests were performed and analyzed using the Theis and Jacob methods. Transmissivity of the Peedee aquifer ranges from 110 to 2150 feet2 /day and hydraulic conductivity ranges from 3.7 feet/day to 51 feet/day. Also, the surficial aquifer at the Yankee Hall site was investigated but the sands were too thin (<20 feet thick) to obtain adequate available drawdown. Production wells were constructed at the Simpson and Black Jack sites because each site has a pre-existing well screened in the Black Creek/Cape Fear aquifers that was decommissioned because of high fluoride (>2.0 mg/1). The water from the pre-existing deep wells was mixed with the low fluoride Peedee aquifer water to obtain water of adequate quality. Water in the Peedee aquifer flows to the east and slightly north. The groundwater derived from the Peedee aquifer at each of the sites meets all primary and secondary national drinking water standards and ranges from calcium-bicarbonate to sodium-bicarbonate type groundwater when plotted on a Piper diagram. The Peedee aquifer was found to be a valuable groundwater resource in southeastern Pitt County. |
| General note | Submitted to the faculty of the Department of Geology. |
| General note | Advisor: Richard K. Spruill |
| Dissertation note | M.S. East Carolina University 2000 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaf 63). |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
Availability
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyner | University Archives | ASK AT SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DESK | ✔ Available | Request Material |
| Electronic Resources | Access Content Online | ✔ Available |