Ohio State University Extension

Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

590 Woody Hayes Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43210

Butler County Ground-Water Resources

AEX-490.09

Steve Bartels
A. Wayne Jones
Larry C. Brown
Kristina M. Boone

Water stored under the earth's surface is a plentiful, yet precious, resource in most areas of Ohio. Many human activities may affect the quality and quantity of this resource. However, the availability and quality of this resource are influenced directly by the properties of the geologic formations that hold water. The chemical and physical nature of these formations varies from area to area, creating a wide range of water yields and quality at different depths. This publication contains information about the ground-water resources underlying Butler County. Its purpose is to help the reader better understand the factors that influence the quantity and quality of ground water. An overview of the county's water resources is provided in the publication Butler County Water Resources, AEX-480.09.

Much of the water resource and water quality terminology used in this publication is described in Extension Facts Sheets AEX 460 and 465. Ohio Extension publications are available through the Butler County office of Ohio State University Extension.

Aquifers

Geologic formations (e.g. sand, gravel, limestone, sandstone) have the ability to receive, store and transmit water. In general, if a formation is capable of yielding enough water to support a well or spring, it is called an aquifer. The material from which the formation originally was made influences its ability to store and transmit water. For example, sand and gravel allow water to flow through easily. By comparison, shale, which originated from compacted layers of mud and clay, generally allows very little water to flow through it unless the shale is highly fractured.

Butler County's two principal types of aquifers are unconsolidated deposits of sand and gravel and Ordovician-aged, shaly carbonate bedrock. The unconsolidated aquifers are composed primarily of coarse sediments of glacial origin, and are found along rivers and streams. These deposits are predominantly highly permeable sands and gravel derived from glacial outwash, and are sometimes called watercourse aquifers. The shaly carbonate aquifers are not in close proximity to streams. These areas are underlain by interbedded shale and thin limestone of the Ordovician age. This limestone and shale bedrock has poor ability to transmit water, and thus is a poor source of water. The glacial till covering this bedrock is thin, weathered and generally not a source of water.

Ground water is stored in the pore spaces between grains of sand and gravel, and in the cracks and fractures of bedrock. Water is transmitted through these pore spaces, cracks and fractures. This is one reason why the glacial outwash of unconsolidated coarse sand and gravel, and highly fractured limestone bedrock, are more productive compared to the dense shales.

Well Yield

The actual yield of a well, in gallons per minute (gpm), will vary considerably depending on the age and depth of the well, the diameter of the casing, well construction, pump capacity and age, and most importantly, properties of the geologic formation. The exact yield and depth of each well will depend on the properties of the geologic formation at the specific location of the well.

Ground-Water Availability

To support the development of ground-water availability assessments in Ohio, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Water, maintains a statewide database of more than 700,000 well logs. The Ground-Water Resources Section of the Division manages this valuable database, which includes some information collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA). Since 1948, well-log information has been collected to increase the understanding of the ground-water resources in Ohio. Geologists and hydrogeologists continue to study the state's ground-water resources. As a result, Ohio is one of only a few states that has been completely mapped for ground-water availability (mapped by river basin, from 1959 to 1962).

Estimates of the size, shape, geologic make-up and yields of aquifers are being mapped county by county. Most of Ohio's counties have a completed map. The map presented in Figure 1 is a generalized representation of the water-bearing formations underlying Butler County (adapted from map by Schmidt, 1993). This illustration is based on a hydrogeologic interpretation of the well-log data from Butler County and surrounding areas. It should be used only as a guide to understanding the ground-water resources in the county. The remainder of this section provides a brief description of the types of aquifers illustrated on the map in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Ground-water resources of Butler County, Ohio (adapted from ODNR Division of Water map by J. Humphreys).

AREA A: Outwash Sand and Gravel

Area A in Figure 1 illustrates the permeable sand and gravel deposits in ancestral drainage channels. This material was derived from glacial outwash. Properly screened, large-diameter wells yield in excess of 1,000 gpm at depths ranging from 85 to as much as 220 feet. The quality of the water from these sand and gravel deposits generally is considered adequate for most uses. However, the water from some wells may have concentrations of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃, i.e. hard water), iron (greater than 0.3 ppm), and/or sulfate (greater than 250), high enough to require treatment for some uses (see notes in Table 2).

AREA B: Permeable Sand and Gravel

Regionally extensive, thick permeable deposits of sand and gravel are illustrated as Area B. Wells in this area may yield as much as 100 to 500 gpm, but extensive drilling is needed to locate the coarser, more permeable deposits. These deposits, however, may range from 35 to as much as 150 feet deep, with an average depth of 95 feet.

AREA C: Clay Till Interbedded in Sand and Gravel

Yields of as much as 75 gpm may be developed in wells in Area C. Water-bearing deposits of sand and gravel are interbedded with thick layers of glacial clay till. Glacial deposits may be as deep as 175 feet. Wells are usually developed at an average depth of 75 feet.

AREA D: End Moraine

Area D consists of end moraine, which is a glacial landform. The moraine is made up of clay with interbedded layers of sand and gravel. Shale bedrock, which is a poor water source, underlies the moraine at depths that range from 160 to 230 feet. When properly developed and screened, wells that encounter sand and gravel may yield as much as 10 to 15 gpm.

AREA E: Thin Sand and Gravel

Wells developed in Area E are usually most productive at depths of less than 55 feet, where yields may range from 5 to 20 gpm. Deeper drilling into the underlying shaly bedrock is non-productive. The area consists of non-extensive thin layers of sand and gravel interbedded with thick layers of clayey till.

AREA F: Silty Sand and Glacial Till

Area F illustrates parts of the county where thin layers of water-bearing sand and gravel may be encountered at depths of 25 to more than 150 feet. Cautious drilling into the relatively thick, unconsolidated glacial deposits of silty sand and clayey-till is advisable. Development of relatively meager supplies of water, ranging from 3 to 10 gpm, should be expected.

AREA G: Shaley Limestone

The majority of Butler County's land mass can be found in Area G. Very meager supplies of water, less than 2 gpm, can be developed from the non-water-bearing, shaly limestone bedrock. Clay-rich till, as thick as 35 feet, covers the shale in most areas.

Figure 2 is a generalized cross section of portions of Butler County (referenced in Figure 1 as the line X-X'). This cross section illustrates the composition of the valley fill, as well as the approximate depth to bedrock. The "?" in Figure 2 indicates that sufficient data have not been collected to properly characterize these specific areas.

Figure 2. Generalized cross section of Butler County, Ohio (adapted from Underground Water Resources map, H-10, ODNR Division of Water, by R. Roberts).

Ground-Water Levels

The water level in any well usually does not remain constant, but may change depending upon several factors. Rainfall distribution and amount, and fluctuating water level in a stream that is hydraulically connected to an aquifer, may affect ground-water recharge and discharge, and subsequently may affect the water level in area wells. Also, in some cases depending upon the hydraulic properties of the geologic formation, the intense pumping of a well, or number of wells, may cause the water level in some nearby wells to be lowered.

The ODNR Division of Water monitors ground-water levels in eight wells in Butler County. Three of these wells are located in Middletown, three in the Fairfield area, one is north of Sharonville, and one is in the Trenton area. These wells are designated as Observation wells BU-2, BU-3, BU-7, BU-8, BU-9, BU-12, BU-15, and BU-16 on Figure 1. They are part of a statewide system used to monitor natural seasonal fluctuations (in some cases the effects of nearby pumping) of water levels in these aquifers. Table 1 summarizes well depths, period of record and dates of recorded high and low water levels in each of these sand and gravel wells.

Table 1. Water levels in selected observation wells in Butler County, Ohio1.
Well No.	BU-2	BU-3	BU-7	BU-8	BU-9	BU-12	BU-15	BU-16
Length of Record2	10/42	7/38	8/43	4/44	7/38	4/68	6/72	5/82
Well Depth (feet)	88	250	176	200	85	157	23	218
Lowest Reading3 (feet)	52.2	147.3	33.7	71.7	24.4	28.4	14.6	23.2
Date	1/54	4/55	8/88	10/44	3/54	7/88	1/81	7/92
Highest Reading (feet)	24.2	45.3	11.4	38.2	4.4	-2.04	0.1	5.7
Date	1/91	7/80	6/47	1/47	8/58	5/68	2/75	4/91
1. Data from ODNR Division of Water.
2. Date of first reading for the continuous period to present; for BU-2, October 1942.
3. Data presented are feet below ground surface, and month/year of reading.
4. Water level was 2.0 feet above ground surface.

Ground-Water Quality

Various state and federal agencies have participated in programs to determine the ground-water quality in Ohio. For seven wells in Butler County, water-quality data were available from the ODNR Division of Water. In Figure 1, these wells are noted as Chemical Analysis Sites 1 through 4, and Observation Wells BU-7, BU-8, and BU-9. These sites are municipal and domestic wells.

The results from some of the chemical tests performed on these Butler County wells are given in Table 2. The chemical constituents listed are total dissolved solids, hardness (as CaCO₃), iron, chloride, sulfate and sodium. For comparison purposes, secondary drinking water-quality standards for these chemical constituents also are shown. These standards are established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for public water systems for aesthetic reasons (taste, odor, appearance, etc.), and are not enforceable. These chemical constituents do not pose a risk to human health (see notes in Table 2). For private wells, there are no legally enforceable drinking water-quality standards other than total coliform, which is an indicator of bacteriological quality.

The information in Table 2 can be used as a guide to what one might expect from an existing or new well developed in similar geologic material in the county. This information provides a general representation of the quality of the water at the time of sampling, which was not the same for all wells. In most cases, the data provided in Table 1 was taken from a water sample obtained just after the well was put into operation. Even though 6 of these wells were developed in the sand and gravel underlying Butler County, and all are in the range of 40 to 200 feet deep, some variation exists in the concentrations of each of these chemical constituents. Just as well yields differ, water quality will vary depending on aquifer properties at the specific location of each well. One should not forget that many human activities also affect the quality of ground water (see AEX 465).

Table 2. Chemical constituents of selected Butler County wells1.
Well No.	1	2	3	4	BU-7	BU-8	BU-9	WQ Std2
Well Depth (feet)	110	58	65	40	176	200	85
Capacity (gpm)	-3	-	700	300	-	-	-
Depth to Bedrock (feet)	NE4	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE
Water-Bearing Formation5	SG	SG	G	SG	SG	SG	SG
Chemical Constituents6
Total Dissolved Solids	410	478	420	468	362	800	825	500
Hardness (as CaCO3)	320	370	338	376	330	340	680	none7
Iron	2.6	0.9	0.1	0.4	0.7	3.7	1.8	0.3
Chloride	-	-	11	7	-	-	-	250
Sulfate	54	72	-	-	52	3.2	190	250
Sodium	18	26	-	-	4.9	140	75	none
1. Data on wells 1, 2, BU-7, -8, and -9 from map by Schmidt, 1993; wells 3 and 4 from watershed maps H-9 and H-10; General location of each well is shown on Figure 1.
2. USEPA Secondary Water Quality Standard.
3. Data not available.
4. Well constructed in this formation did not encounter bedrock.
5. SG - Sand and Gravel; G - Gravel.
6. Units are parts-per-million, ppm; Comments as per "Interpreting Your Water Test Report" (1988); Total Dissolved Solids: Concentrations above 500 ppm may cause adverse taste and deteriorate domestic plumbing and appliances. Use of water containing 500 ppm is common. Hardness: Primary concerns are that more soap is required for effective cleaning, a film may form on fixtures, fabrics may yellow and scales may form in boilers, water heaters and cooking utensils. Iron: Concentrations greater than 0.3 ppm may cause rust-colored stains on laundry, plumbing fixtures and sinks. Metallic taste may be present, which may affect the taste of beverages made from the water. Chloride: Concentrations greater than 250 ppm may result in an objectionable, salty taste to water and the corrosion of plumbing in the hot water system. Sulfate: Concentrations in excess of 250 ppm may have laxative effect on persons unaccustomed to the water. Also affects the taste of water and will form a hard scale in boilers and heat exchangers. Sodium: Major component of brine. High concentrations may impart a soda taste and be a dietary concern.
7 No USEPA Secondary Standard.

Summary

Butler County's ground-water resources are valuable assets to the county's citizens and industry. The availability and quality of these resources are directly influenced by the properties of the geologic formations underlying the county. The unconsolidated sand and gravel formations underlying portions of Butler County have the potential to supply water adequate for many uses, including domestic, agricultural and municipal. By understanding the physical and chemical nature of these resources, better decisions can be made about ground-water protection, management and use. This publication provided an overview of the county's ground-water resources. It should be used as a guide, and not as a substitute for detailed information and professional advice when drilling a well.

Where to Get More Information

The Butler County office of Ohio State University Extension can provide other publications on the county's water resources. Your Extension agent, the Butler County Health Department and Ohio EPA Southwest District Office - SWDO (40 South Main St., Dayton, OH 45402) can provide information on well-water testing and drinking-water quality. The ODNR Division of Water - Ground-Water Resources Section (Fountain Square, Columbus, OH 43224) is an excellent source of information on ground water. Some of the information in this publication was summarized from a map titled Ground-Water Resources of Butler County, and other information available through the Division of Water. This map is much more detailed than that given in Figure 1 of this publication. In addition, personnel in the Ground-Water Resources Section can provide you with more detailed information about ground-water availability and wells. The USGS, Ohio District (975 W. Third Ave. Columbus, OH 43212), also has information about ground water in Ohio.

Bibliography

Butler County Water Resources. 1993. S.R. Bartels, K.M. Boone and L.C. Brown. AEX-480.09. Ohio State University Extension.

Ground-Water Resources of Butler County. 1993. J.J. Schmidt. ODNR Division of Water. (map).

Interpreting Your Water Test Report. 1988. D. Lundstrom and S. Fundingsland. AE-937, No. 13-AENG-10. North Dakota State University Extension Service.

Nonpoint Source Pollution: Water Primer. 1993. R. Leeds and L.C. Brown. AEX 465. Ohio State University Extension.

Ohio Ground-Water Quality. USGS National Water Summary - Ohio. 1986. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2325.

Ohio Ground-Water Resources. USGS National Water Summary - Ohio. 1984. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2275.

Southwestern Ohio Water Plan. 1976. ODNR Division of Water.

Surface and Ground Water Terminology. 1990. L.C. Brown and L.P. Black. AEX 460. Ohio State University Extension.

Underground Water Resources (maps of various river basins). 1958-1962. ODNR Division of Water.

Water Testing. 1988. K. Mancl. AEX 314. Ohio State University Extension.

Acknowledgments

This publication was produced through the Ohio Water Resources Education Project, in cooperation with: ODNR Division of Water; Ohio EPA; USGS, Ohio District; and Ohio Department of Health (ODH). Project leaders are Larry C. Brown and Kristina M. Boone. Support for this publication was provided, in part, by: cooperating agencies; Ohio State University Extension, Butler County; Butler County Commissioners; Overholt Drainage Education and Research Program; and USDA Extension Service Grant No. 90-EWQI-1-9018. The project leaders acknowledge the following reviewers: Richard Fleming (Hamilton City Dept. Public Utilities); Bob Hubbard (The Water Association); Scott Golden (Environmental Health, ODH); Steve Hindall (USGS, Ohio District); and Rich Bendula (Ohio EPA, SWDO).

A special thanks to Michelle Roby, Ross Roberts, and John Humphreys (Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Assistants) for help in graphic and manuscript preparation, and Judy Kauffeld, Publications Editor (Section of Communications and Technology, Ohio State University), for editorial and graphic production.