Your dollars supported the 5-year $5M MLGW Aquifer Study that was completed in the summer of 2023. To read more about the study and its results see the resources below.
The 5-year $5M MLGW Aquifer Study was completed in July 2023. The primary results of the study show that (1) there are dozens more suspected breaches (windows) in the protective confining clay layer overlying the Memphis aquifer, like Swiss Cheese, and (2) we can no longer assume we are drinking 2,000 to 3,000 year old pristine water.
We already knew there were breaches in the confining clay overlying the Memphis Sand Aquifer; however, we didn't know there were this many. Ever since the late 1980s and early 1990s, we have seen contaminant enter our drinking water wells in certain areas and have been researching how they get there ever since. This is the latest effort by the University of Memphis CAESER and they are continuing on the research with an addition $10M over the next 5 years to better understand the aquifer system and build upon what we learned during the initial study.
Obviously there's a lot to digest, so why not get started.
The 5-year $5M MLGW Aquifer Study was completed in July 2023. The primary results of the study show that (1) there are dozens more suspected breaches (windows) in the protective confining clay layer overlying the Memphis aquifer, like Swiss Cheese, and (2) we can no longer assume we are drinking 2,000 to 3,000 year old pristine water.
We already knew there were breaches in the confining clay overlying the Memphis Sand Aquifer; however, we didn't know there were this many. Ever since the late 1980s and early 1990s, we have seen contaminant enter our drinking water wells in certain areas and have been researching how they get there ever since. This is the latest effort by the University of Memphis CAESER and they are continuing on the research with an addition $10M over the next 5 years to better understand the aquifer system and build upon what we learned during the initial study.
Obviously there's a lot to digest, so why not get started.
Check out these resources: The Memphis Aquifer Research Study - Executive Summary and UoM CAESER research papers, theses, and dissertations.
Looking for breach locations? Click here for the most recent shapefile available including metadata and references. These locations have been digitized from georeferenced maps so exact locations may differ slightly from the original dataset. (Last updated: 10/29/2024. Changes include Nonconnah_WillowPark breach is now a known/confirmed breach)
You can also find the model layers delineating the unconfined, Memphis aquifer (Recharge Zone) based on the USGS MERAS model here with supporting documents.
MLGW (CAESER) Aquifer Study Website - MLGW started this off at the beginning of the project but didn't seem to keep up with it. It's still worth taking a look.
