Primary & Principal Aquifers
About one quarter of New Yorkers rely on groundwater as a source of potable water. In order to enhance regulatory protection in areas where groundwater resources are most productive and most vulnerable, the Department of Health, in 1980, identified eighteen Primary Water Supply Aquifers (also referred to simply as Primary Aquifers) across the state. These are defined in the Division of Water Technical & Operational Guidance Series (TOGS) 2.1.3 as "highly productive aquifers presently utilized as sources of water supply by major municipal water supply systems".
All of the Primary Aquifers have been mapped in detail at a scale of 1:24,000. They are available as United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports. The graphic to the right shows the locations of Primary Aquifers and their names. These maps are available from the USGS and most are online. To search for a publication, click on the USGS Search Engine link in the right margin, pick a name from the map and enter it into the search engine.
Another category listed in TOGS 2.1.3 is Principal Aquifers. These are "aquifers known to be highly productive or whose geology suggests abundant potential water supply, but which are not intensively used as sources of water supply by major municipal systems at the present time".
The USGS and NYSDEC cooperative mapping program, started over twenty years ago, has resulted in over thirty 1:24,000 scale mapped aquifers. However, due to the large number of aquifers in New York State, the program must continue for some time before all Principal Aquifers have been mapped. In the meantime, for those areas not mapped at a 1:24,000 scale, the Division of Water refers to a USGS series of five plates titled "Unconsolidated Aquifers In Upstate New York", mapped at a scale of 1:250,000. Areas mapped as "Unconfined Aquifer 10 to 100 gallons per minute" or "Unconfined Aquifer more than 100 gallons per minute" are considered to be Principal Aquifers unless contradictory site specific information is made available to the Department.
The five plates are listed below and are available on line; see the right margin of this webpage.
Finger Lakes sheet - - WRI 87-4122
Lower Hudson sheet -- WRI 87-4274
Hudson-Mohawk sheet - - WRI 87-4275
Adirondack sheet - - WRI 87-4276
Niagara sheet - - WRI 88-4076
When consulting these maps it is important to keep in mind that they were created at a scale of 1:250,000 and thus show only the general extent of the aquifers. They were not intended for detailed site evaluations. Determination of the precise location of aquifer boundaries or of well yields may require additional data.
More about Primary & Principal Aquifers:
- NYS Primary & Principal Aquifers: Large Image - Map of NYS primary and principal aquifers.
