Evaluation of hydrologic properties of the Long Island ground-water reservoir using cross-sectional electric-analog models

Abstract

Variables necessary for constructing a quantitative model to predict the response of ground-water reservoirs to hydrologic stresses are in four classes: (a) external and internal geometry of the reservoir, (b) nature () a of the reservoir boundaries, (c) areal distribution of horizontal and A (/1) vertical hydraulic conductivities, and (d) areal distribution of storage capability within the reservoir. In this report, the sensitivity of the Long Island ground-water reservoir's reponse to the first three of these variables was evaluated using analog models. Long Island is underlain by a wedge-shaped mass of unconsolidated deposits ranging from near zero thickness in northeast Queens County to a maximum thickness of 2,000 ft (600m) in south-central Suffolk County.