Environmental analysis of groundwater in Mecosta County, Michigan |
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Authors: | Alan D Steinman Bopi Biddanda Xuefeng Chu Kurt Thompson Rick Rediske |
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Institution: | (1) Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University, 740 West Shoreline Drive, Muskegon, MI 49441, USA |
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Abstract: | Groundwater withdrawal has major economic, social, and environmental implications. In Michigan, recent legislative activity
has begun to address the issue of groundwater sustainability. However, more hydrologic data are needed to help inform policy
and legislation. A study was conducted in Mecosta County, Michigan to: (1) determine if a relationship could be established
between land use/land cover and groundwater quality; and (2) develop a conceptual model for the shallow groundwater system
of the study region. In general, groundwater quality was good, with below detection levels of E. coli, low total bacterial counts, and relatively low nutrient concentrations. No statistically significant associations were found
between the bacterial numbers and either land use or the physical/chemical attributes measured, which may be because the scale
of our spatial analysis was too coarse to detect patterns. Finer-scale, localized processes may have a greater influence on
microorganism growth and abundance than coarser-scale, regional processes in this area. Our groundwater analysis suggested
that shallow groundwater flow paths are generally consistent with regional surface water flow networks, and that shallow groundwater
levels in most of the region have fluctuated within 1–2 m over the past 30 years, with no obvious increasing or decreasing
trend. |
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Keywords: | Bacteria Great Lakes Groundwater Land use Unconfined aquifer Water quality |
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