National aquifers, or principal aquifers of the United States, are defined as regionally extensive aquifers or aquifer systems that have the potential to be used as a source of potable water. The first publication of the core of the national aquifer list in a comprehensive manner was the Ground-Water Atlas of the United States (USGS Hydrologic Atlas 730 A-H), published in 13 chapters over the period 1990-1999, James A. Miller, editor.
Aquifers shown on the 2003 Principal Aquifers map, with some additions, were used as the first National Aquifer reference list in the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) in the Aggregate Water Use Data System (database released in August 2001). In 2005, national aquifer was added as a field to the other components of NWIS, and to NWISWeb. Entries with a gray background are no longer valid.
Aquifer Name |
Code |
Valid States |
Link to Aquifer Basics site |
Ada-Vamoosa aquifer |
N300ADAVMS |
Oklahoma |
Ada-Vamoosa aquifer (Oklahoma) |
Alaska unconsolidated-deposit aquifers |
N100AKUNCD |
Alaska |
Unconsolidated-deposit aquifers (Alaska) |
Alluvial aquifers |
N100ALLUVL |
Arkansas,
Colorado, Delaware,
Kansas,
Kentucky,
Louisiana,
Maryland, Missouri,
Montana,
Nebraska,
New Jersey, North Dakota,
Ohio,
Oklahoma,
South Dakota,
Tennessee,
Texas,
Utah,
Virginia, West Virginia,
Wyoming |
See note in History |
Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer |
N400ABKSMP |
Oklahoma |
Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer (Oklahoma) |
Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers |
N100BSNRGB |
Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah |
Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers (southwestern U.S.) |
Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifers |
N400BSNRGC |
Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah |
Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifers (southwestern U.S.) |
Biscayne aquifer |
N400BISCYN |
Florida |
Biscayne aquifer (Florida) |
Blaine aquifer |
N400BLAINE |
Oklahoma, Texas |
Blaine aquifer (Oklahoma and Texas) |
California Coastal Basin aquifers |
N100CACSTL |
California |
California Coastal Basin aquifers |
Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system |
S300CAMORD |
Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin |
Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system (northern Midwest) |
Castle Hayne aquifer |
N400CSLHYN |
North Carolina |
Castle Hayne aquifer (North Carolina) |
Central Oklahoma aquifer |
N300CNRLOK |
Oklahoma |
Central Oklahoma aquifer |
Central Valley aquifer system |
S100CNRLVL |
California |
Central Valley aquifer system (California) |
Coastal lowlands aquifer system |
S100CSLLWD |
Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas |
Coastal lowlands aquifer system (Gulf Coast) |
Colorado Plateaus aquifers |
N300COPLTS |
Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming |
Colorado Plateaus aquifers |
Columbia Plateau basaltic-rock aquifers |
N600CMBPLV |
Idaho, Oregon, Washington |
Columbia Plateau basaltic-rock aquifers |
Columbia Plateau basin-fill aquifers |
N100CMBPLB |
Idaho, Oregon, Washington |
Columbia Plateau basin-fill aquifers |
Denver Basin aquifer system |
S300DNVRBS |
Colorado |
Denver Basin aquifer system |
Early Mesozoic basin aquifers |
N300ERLMZC |
Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia |
Early Mesozoic basin aquifers (eastern U.S.) |
Edwards-Trinity aquifer system |
S500EDRTRN |
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas |
Edwards-Trinity aquifer system (Texas and Oklahoma) |
Floridan aquifer system |
S400FLORDN |
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina |
Floridan aquifer system |
Hawaii volcanic-rock aquifers |
N600HIVLCC |
Hawaii |
Hawaiian aquifers (Hawaii) |
High Plains aquifer |
N100HGHPLN |
Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming |
High Plains aquifer |
Intermediate aquifer system |
S500INTRMD |
Florida |
GW Atlas: Intermediate aquifer system (Florida) |
Jacobsville aquifer |
N300JCBSVL |
Michigan, Wisconsin |
Jacobsville aquifer (Michigan) |
Kingshill aquifer (Virgin Islands) |
N400KNGSHL |
Virgin Islands |
Kingshill aquifer (Virgin Islands) |
Lower Cretaceous aquifers |
N300LCRTCS |
Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming |
Lower
Cretaceous aquifers (northern Great Plains) |
Lower Tertiary aquifers |
N300LTRTRY |
Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming |
Lower Tertiary aquifers (northern Great Plains) |
Marshall aquifer |
N300MRSHLL |
Michigan |
Marshall aquifer (Michigan) |
Mississippi embayment aquifer system |
S100MSEMBM |
Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas |
Mississippi embayment aquifer system |
Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer |
N100MSRVVL |
Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee |
Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer |
Mississippian aquifers |
N500MSSPPI |
Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia |
Mississippian aquifers (central and eastern U.S.) |
New England crystalline-rock aquifers |
N600NECRSN |
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont |
GW Atlas: Crystalline-rock aquifers (New York and New England) |
New York and New England carbonate-rock aquifers |
N400NYNECB |
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont |
New York and New England carbonate-rock aquifers |
New York sandstone aquifers |
N300NYSDSN |
New York |
New York sandstone aquifers |
North Coast Limestone aquifer system (Puerto Rico) |
N400NCSTLM |
Puerto Rico |
North Coast Limestone aquifer system (Puerto Rico) |
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system |
S100NATLCP |
Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia |
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system |
Northern Great Plains aquifer system (no longer valid) |
S500NGRTPL |
Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming |
(Includes four national aquifers but is not considered a
national aquifer itself. The component aquifers are Lower Tertiary, Upper
Cretaceous, Lower Cretaceous, and Paleozoic.) |
Northern Rocky Mountains Intermontane Basins aquifer systems |
S100NRMTIB |
Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming |
Northern Rocky Mountains Intermontane Basins aquifer system |
Ordovician aquifers |
N400ORDVCN |
Kentucky, Tennessee |
Ordovician aquifers (Tennessee and Kentucky) |
Other aquifers |
N9999OTHER |
All |
Other aquifers |
Ozark Plateaus aquifer system |
S400OZRKPL |
Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma |
Ozark Plateaus aquifer system (Missouri) |
Pacific Northwest basin-fill aquifers |
N100PCFNWB |
California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming |
Pacific Northwest basin-fill aquifers |
Pacific Northwest volcanic-rock aquifers |
N100PCFNWV |
California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming |
Pacific Northwest basaltic-rock aquifers |
Paleozoic aquifers |
N500PLOZOC |
Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming |
Paleozoic aquifers (northern Great Plains) |
Pecos River Basin alluvial aquifer |
N100PCSRVR |
New Mexico, Texas |
Pecos River Basin alluvial aquifer (Texas and New Mexico) |
Pennsylvanian aquifers |
N300PNSLVN |
Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia |
Pennsylvanian aquifers (central and eastern U.S.) |
Piedmont and Blue Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers |
N400PDMBRC |
Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania |
Piedmont and Blue Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers (eastern U.S.) |
Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers |
N400PDMBRX |
Alabama, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia |
Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers (eastern U.S.) |
Puget Sound aquifer system |
S100PGTSND |
Washington |
Puget Sound aquifer system (Washington) |
Rio Grande aquifer system |
S100RIOGRD |
Colorado, New Mexico, Texas |
Rio Grande aquifer system |
Roswell Basin aquifer system |
S400RSWLBS |
New Mexico |
Roswell Basin aquifer system (New Mexico) |
Rush Springs aquifer |
N300RSHSPG |
Oklahoma |
Rush Springs aquifer (Oklahoma) |
Sand and gravel aquifers (glaciated regions) |
N100GLCIAL |
Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin |
Sand and gravel aquifers of alluvial and glacial origin (North of the line of glaciation) |
Seymour aquifer |
N100SYMOUR |
Texas |
Seymour aquifer (Texas) |
Silurian-Devonian aquifers |
N400SLRDVN |
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin |
Silurian-Devonian aquifers (northern Midwest) |
Snake River Plain basaltic-rock aquifers |
N600SKRVPV |
Idaho, Oregon |
Snake River Plain basaltic-rock aquifers (Idaho) |
Snake River Plain basin-fill aquifers |
N600SKRVPB |
Idaho, Oregon |
Snake River Plain basin-fill aquifers (Idaho) |
South Coast aquifer (Puerto Rico) |
N300STHCST |
Puerto Rico |
South Coast aquifer (Puerto Rico) |
Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system |
S100SECSLP |
Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee |
Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer system |
Southern Nevada volcanic-rock aquifers |
N600SRNVDV |
Nevada |
Southern Nevada volcanic-rock aquifers |
Surficial aquifer system |
S100SURFCL |
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina |
Surficial aquifer system (eastern U.S.) |
Texas coastal uplands aquifer system |
S100TXCLUP |
Louisiana, Texas |
Texas coastal uplands aquifer system |
Upper carbonate aquifer |
N400UPCRBN |
Iowa, Minnesota |
Upper carbonate aquifer (Minnesota and Iowa) |
Upper Cretaceous aquifers |
N300UPCTCS |
Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming |
Upper Cretaceous aquifers (northern Great Plains) |
Valley and Ridge aquifers |
N500VLYRDG |
Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia |
Valley and Ridge aquifers (eastern U.S.) |
Valley and Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers (No longer valid) |
N500VLRDGC |
Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia |
(Should be included in Valley and Ridge aquifers.) |
Willamette Lowland basin-fill aquifers |
N100WLMLWD |
Oregon, Washington |
Willamette Lowland basin-fill aquifers (Oregon) |
Wyoming Tertiary aquifers |
N300WYTRTR |
Wyoming |
Upper Tertiary aquifers (Wyoming) |