U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2411, 38 pages, 19 plates
The Savannah and Ogeechee Rivers can be considered potential water-supply sources for the Savannah area, on the basis of historic streamflow records and water-quality constituents and properties examined. Analyses of stream-discharge data indicate that the minimum average discharge for seven consecutive days for 10-year recurrence interval (7Q10) was 5,460 cubic feet per second (cu ft/s) at Savannah River near Clyo, Ga., and 192 cu ft/s at Ogeechee River near Eden, Ga. For example, 90 percent of the time, flows in excess of the 7Q10 discharges are about 900 and 200 cu ft/s at these respective localities. However, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division, imposes a nondepletable flow criterion; thus, the actual quantity of water available for withdrawal probably would be less than flows in excess of minimum flow criteria, such as the 7Q10.
A ground-water flow model was developed and used in conjunction with
other previously calibrated models in the coastal area to simulate the
effects of additional pumping on water levels near sites of seawater
encroachment at Hilton Head Island and saltwater intrusion at
Brunswick. Based on model simulations and the constraint of
preventing water-level declines at locations of encroachment and
intrusion, the potential of the Upper Floridan aquifer to supply
additional water in the Savannah area is limited under present
hydrologic conditions. The water-supply potential ranges from less
than 1 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) in Liberty, McIntosh, most of
Bryan, and southern Chatham Counties, Ga., and in southern Beaufort
County, S.C., to more than 5 Mgal/d in northern Jasper and northern
Beaufort Counties, S.C. Because of the limited water-supply
potential, hypothetical alternatives involving redistributions,
redistributions and small increases, and decreases in pumpage were
simulated to determine the effects on water levels. These simulations
indicate that reductions and redistributions of pumping would not
adversely affect water levels at locations of encroachment and
intrusion. Increased pumping would cause water-level declines, which
might increase salinization of the freshwater aquifer.
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