Digital Geodata Series
DGS07-1: Aquifer-Recharge Potential for New Jersey
Abstract
Aquifer recharge potential
was mapped by superimposing ground-water recharge maps over aquifer
maps. A rankings system was developed to display the potential for
aquifer recharge.
Ground-water recharge areas were mapped and ground-water
recharge
was calculated and ranked as described in NJGS Geologic Survey Report
GSR-32: "A method for evaluating ground-water-recharge areas in New
Jersey" (E.G. Charles and others, 1993). Aquifer designations and
delineations from NJGS Open-File Map OFM-24: "Aquifers of New
Jersey" (G. C. Herman and others, 1998), were used to produce a
coverage of aquifer ranks (references included on the Overview page).
Aquifers were ranked based
on the
median yield of selected non-domestic well yields. Yield was used as it
was
indicative of the capacity of the aquifer to supply water, which
defines an aquifer. The
prevalence of yield data made it possible to develop a ranking system
over a regional area. The median yield was chosen as the ranking
criterion as it more precisely
indicated the central point of the data as opposed to the average. Large outlier values often found in the
yield data can greatly influence the average. The median is the value at which half of the data values
are above
and half are below.
Well yield values varied over a range of 3,000 gallons per minute (gpm). Five ranks,
A-E,
were assigned: E, less than 25 gpm; D, 25 to 100 gpm; C, greater than
100 gpm to 250 gpm; B, greater than 250 gpm to 500 gpm; and A, greater
than 500 gpm. Each county's yield data were analyzed and
ranked based upon the above scale. Each watershed management area (WMA)
aquifers were catagorized using the statewide yield data as
applied to the above scale.
Nineteen county and twenty watershed management areas (WMA) ground-water recharge rank coverages were combined with their
corresponding aquifer rank coverages to produce aquifer recharge
potential coverages. The combination of the two coverages produced a
composite
ranking of 25 possible aquifer-recharge potentials which show the
relationship
between ground-water-recharge areas and the underlying water-table
aquifer. The coverages were converted to shapefiles which were compressed into individual zip files**. Downloads of the 19 county and 20 watershed management areas are available along with metadata and ten by seventeen inch county and WMA PDF** maps were also produced.
* Recharge for
Essex County
was not calculated at this time, and Hudson County's was not calculated due to
the lack of current soil survey and soils coverage, therefore only
parts of WMAs 4, 5, 6 , and 7 have recharge calculated.
** Zip files may require additional software to decompress them such as WinZip™. PDF (portable document format) files also require additional software capable of accessing them such as Adobe Reader™ . The mention of these third party software products does not
constitute an endorsement of these products by the NJGS. The NJGS does
not support these products nor is the NJGS liable for any problems or
damages arising from their download, use and/or misuse.
Index Maps |
New Jersey Counties |
NJ Watershed-Management Areas |

 |


|
County Aquifer-Recharge
Potential Downloads |
Watershed-Management Area Aquifer-Recharge
Potential Downloads |
Atlantic Co. (5 mb), Metadata, PDF map (5 mb) |
WMA 1: Upper Delaware (6 MB), Metadata, PDF map(8 MB) |
Bergen Co. (2 mb), Metadata, PDF map (6 mb)
|
WMA 2:
Wallkill (3 MB), Metadata, PDF map (6 mb) |
Burlington
Co. (7 mb), Metadata, PDF map (5mb)
|
WMA 3:
Pompton,
Wanaque, Ramapo (2 mb), Metadata, PDF map (7 mb) |
Camden Co. (2 mb), Metadata, PDF map (5 mb)
|
WMA 4: Lower Passaic, Saddle (1 mb), Metadata, PDF map (6 mb) |
Cape May Co. (2 mb), Metadata, PDF map (4 mb)
|
WMA 5:
Hackensack, Pascack (1 mb), Metadata, PDF map (6 mb) |
Cumberland
Co. (7 mb), Metadata, PDF map (6 mb)
|
WMA 6: U.
Passaic, Whippany, Rockaway (3 mb), Metadata, PDF map (7 mb) |
Gloucester
Co. (3 mb), Metadata, PDF map (5 mb)
|
WMA 7: Arthur
Kill (1 mb), Metadata, PDF map (6 mb) |
Hunterdon Co. (3 mb), Metadata, PDF map (6 mb)
|
WMA 8: North
& South Branch Raritan (4 mb), Metadata, PDF map (6 mb) |
Mercer
Co. (2 mb), Metadata, PDF map (3 mb)
|
WMA 9: Lower
Raritan, South, Lawrence (3 mb), Metadata, PDF map (7 mb) |
Middlesex
Co. (3 mb), Metadata, PDF map (5 mb)
|
WMA 10:
Millstone (3 mb), Metadata, PDF map (6 mb) |
Monmouth
Co. (4 mb), Metadata, PDF map (5 mb)
|
WMA 11: Central Delaware (2 mb), Metadata, PDF map (6 mb) |
Morris Co. (5 mb), Metadata, PDF map (6 mb)
|
WMA 12:
Monmouth (3 mb), Metatdata, PDF map (7 mb) |
Ocean Co. (5 mb), Metadata, PDF map (7 mb)
|
WMA 13:
Barnegat
Bay (5 mb), Metadata, PDF map (8 mb) |
Passaic Co. (2 mb), Metadata, PDF map (5 mb)
|
WMA 14:
Mullica (5 mb), Metadata, PDF map (8 mb) |
Salem Co. (4 mb), Metadata, PDF map (5 mb)
|
WMA 15: Great
Egg Harbor (5 mb), Metadata, PDF map (8 mb) |
Somerset Co. (3 mb), Metadata, PDF map (5 mb)
|
WMA 16: Cape
May (2 mb), Metadata, PDF map (6 mb) |
Sussex
Co. (5 mb), Metadata, PDF map (5 mb)
|
WMA 17:
Maurice,
Salem, Cohansey (9 mb), Metadata, PDF map (8 mb) |
Union Co. (1 mb), Metadata, PDF map (5 mb)
|
WMA 18: Lower
Delaware (4 mb), Metadata, PDF map (7 mb) |
Warren Co. (3 mb), Metadata, PDF map (6 mb)
|
WMA 19:
Rancocas (3 mb), Metadata, PDF map (7 mb) |
|
WMA 20:
Assiscunk, Crosswicks, Doctors (3 mb), Metadata, PDF Map (5 mb) |
*
Recharge for Essex County
was not
calculated at this time, and Hudson County's was not calculated due to
the lack of current soil survey and soils coverage, therefore only
parts of WMAs 4, 5, 6 , and 7 have recharge calculated. |
|