Hydrology and Water Quality of the Catoctin Mountain National Park Area, Frederick County, Maryland
Trombley TJ and Zynjuk LD. 1985. Hydrology and Water Quality of the Catoctin Mountain National Park Area, Frederick County, Maryland. Water-Resources Investigations Report 85-4241. United States Geological Survey. Towson, MD
The Catoctin Mountain National Park area, located in the Blue Ridge physiographic province of central Maryland, is characterized by high local relief, an average annual precipitation of 44 inches, and stony soils under- lain by weathered and fractured metamorphic rocks. The park is mostly forested land and includes several camps and roads. The ground-water reser- voir consists of regolith and underlying fractured bedrock and is recharged by precipitation. Discharge from the ground-water flow system is mainly to nearby streams adjacent to areas of recharge. Approximately 56 percent of annual streamflow is contributed by ground water. Wells located at Camp Round Meadow and Staff Quarters No. 5 can sustain pumping rates of 45 to 60 gallons per minute for several hours, with draw- downs of 40 to 50 feet. Water-quality samples from wells, springs, and streams indicate that ground water is slightly affected by septic waste and road salt. Ground water in remote areas is not affected by either source. Concentrations of chloride from road salt and concentrations of nitrate plus nitrite (as N) were below U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking- water limits in all ground- and surface-water samples. This report was intended to describe the hydrogeology and water quality of the Catoctin Mountain National Park area. Data was collected in 1983 and 1984 from wells in the park. Water levels were measured and samples were taken for chemical analysis. Results indicate the possible effects of acid precipitation. Septic waste and road salt are minor influences on the water quality.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Trombley, Thomas; Zynjuk, Linda
- Date of Issue
- 1985
- Publisher
- United States Geological Survey
- Units
- CATO , HIST , WRD
- Keywords
- Acid Rain, Analysis, Aquatic Studies, Aquifer, Bacteria, Camp Round Meadow, Chemistry, Clemson, Climate, Discharge, ehistory, flow system, Geology, Ground Water, Groundwater, History, Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Land Use, Precipitation, Quality, Recharge, Research Report, Reservoir, Salt, Sampling, Sewage, Soils, Strategy, Topography, Use, Water Level, Water Quality, Water Use, Wells, WRBIB