Final report : delineation and characterizatiion of the recharge area for Mitch Hill Spring : Buffalo National River, Arkansas
Aley T and Aley C. 1989. Final report : delineation and characterizatiion of the recharge area for Mitch Hill Spring : Buffalo National River, Arkansas. Ozark Underground Laboratory. Protem, Missouri
Mitch Hill Spring is a large spring tributary to the Buffalo National River in Newton County, Arkansas. This report documents groundwater tracing studies conducted to delineate the area contributing water to this spring. Tracing dyes were injected into the groundwater through six different sinkholes and losing stream segments. The dyes were subsequently recovered from 15 different sampling stations; there were 26 positive groundwater traces resulting from the six dye injections. Five of the six dye injection sites are located within the recharge area for Mitch Hill Spring. The recharge area for Mitch Hill Spring was subjected to a hazard area mapping. This mapping identifies areas which present different levels of risk to the quality of water in Mitch Hill Spring. A large portion of the Mitch Hill Spring recharge area was identified as presenting "Extremely High Hazards" or "High Hazards" of groundwater contamination. Five potential groundwater contamination sites were identified based upon existing or proposed land use. The site with the greatest potential for degrading water quality at Mitch Hill Spring was Site 5, the proposed Bob Cash Landfill. Leaks or spills along highways crossing the recharge area also constitute a significant water quality threat to Mitch Hill Spring. The SPG Well is the sole source of public water for the communities of St. Joe, Pindall, and Gilbert. It lies within the Mitch Hill Spring recharge area. Three of our six groundwater traces yielded dye recoveries at the SPG Well; based upon this data, the recharge area for this well consists of approximately 13.4 square miles. The recharge area for the SPG Well includes the proposed Bob Cash Landfill.