Hydrogeology and Simulation of Ground-Water Flow in a
Glacial-Aquifer System at Cortland County, New York
by Todd S. Miller
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Fact Sheet FS-054-03
ABSTRACT
The City of Cortland and surrounding communities obtain
water from a highly productive glacial-aquifer system
that underlies the western part of Cortland County. The study area
encompasses about 12 square miles and includes the Otter Creek-Dry
Creek valley and parts of the West Branch, East Branch, and Tioughnioga
River valley and surrounds the bedrock hill in Cortland upon which the
State College campus stands.
This aquifer system has been designated as a Primary Aquifer by the
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and as a
Sole Source Aquifer by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The upper (unconfined) aquifer is highly permeable and close to
land surface, which makes it highly susceptible to contamination.
Potential sources of contamination include leaking petroleum
product storage tanks, leachate from landfills and septic systems,
road-deicing salts, agricultural pesticides and fertilizers, and
chemical spills (such as solvents and degreasers) at commercial and
industrial facilities. Protection of this aquifer system from
contamination is critical to ensure a safe drinking-water supply
for the area.
In 1989, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Cortland
County Departments of Health and Planning, began a 3 1/2-year study
to define the hydrogeology of the glacial aquifer. The results of the
study were published in Miller and others (1998). This Fact Sheet
summarizes the results of that study and depicts the stratigraphy
and model-generated areas that contribute ground water to wells.
Citation: Miller, T.S., 2004, Hydrogeology and Simulation of
Ground-Water Flow in a Glacial-Aquifer System at Cortland County,
New York: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-054-03, 6 p.,
6 figs.
[Full Report, Acrobat PDF
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