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BHI
Underbelly Exposed!
by Dr.
Paul J. Hearty
Director of Conservation
February 26, 2009 – Bald Head
Island, North Carolina (NC)
- The subsurface geology, geometry of the aquifers, and nature of
the groundwater resources of
Bald Head Island are barely known, yet these rocks and sediments
may provide a long-term supply of fresh water to the barrier island
for decades to come. By learning about and monitoring the aquifer we
can better use and conserve our freshwater resources. This study
puts the
BHI community on the cutting edge of water conservation in the
North Carolina and nationwide.
The sustainability of the
groundwater resources on Bald Head Island will be assured by a
comprehensive subsurface hydrogeological project (HGP). The project
will drill an array of new shallow and deep wells across the island.
The Conservancy-led HGP groundwater-aquifer initiative, in concert
with the BHI Village and Club, was approved by the Village Council
on the 22 February 2009. The drilling, well-construction, and
evaluation of the BHI upper unconfined and lower semi-confined
aquifers will be a team evaluation by the BHI Conservancy and
Applied Resource Management, P.C., of Hampstead, NC under the
expertise of Mr. Jim Cornette, P.G.
The HGP will explore the
sediment and rock layers beneath BHI in a strategic array of both
deep and shallow drill holes at ten localities around BHI and Middle
Island. At each site, the deep boring will penetrate approximately
100 feet. Each well will yield sediment samples taken at 5-foot
intervals. From 10 of these wells “stratigraphic sections”, or rock
layers, a unique 3-dimensional image of our aquifer will be
constructed, providing a map of the various rocks and sediments that
define water resources on BHI. Adjacent shallow wells will penetrate
25 to 35 feet, providing a means to access the upper unconfined
aquifer. Samples collected from these cores will be analyzed for a
variety of characteristics including grain size (gravel, sand, silt,
clay or mixtures thereof), composition (mineral grains, organics
fossils, etc), water yielding and conductive capability, and
geologic age. These characteristics along with water quality will
help us understand how freshwater is stored and impacted by our many
activities on BHI. By monitoring the aquifer seasonally over several
years we will be able to make decisions about how best to protect
and maintain our freshwater resources.
Although much of the fresh
water on BHI currently arrives via pipeline from Brunswick County,
the future strategy for the island is to become more self-sufficient
by producing and recycling most of the fresh water on the island
within our own hydrologic cycle….in a sense becoming more
environmentally sound, and drought,
storm, and supply-pipeline-loss “resistant”. In the coming
months, three reverse osmosis plants will come on line, greatly
increasing the fresh water yield from on the island. The vast
majority of waste water will be treated, purified, and sterilized
and returned to the unconfined aquifer via infiltration ponds for
natural filtration and irrigation use. This constant aquifer
recharge will further defend the fresh water resource from saltwater
intrusion. Only the reject water from the RO system will be lost
from the island. Through the ingenuity of design and detailed
understanding of the extent and yield of the water resource, it is
expected that BHI will set a precedent and become of model of
sustainability of freshwater resources for barrier and other oceanic
islands.
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