ISGS - January 2006 Activity Highlights

Prairie Parkway Project Completed

The Prairie Parkway is a proposed new interstate highway construction project to build a connection between I-88 and I-80 though Kane, Kendall, and Grundy Counties. Funding for this project was included in the 2005 Federal Transportation Spending bill at the request of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, a resident of Kendall County. President George W. Bush specifically mentioned the Prairie Parkway project when he signed this national transportation appropriations bill at the Caterpillar plant in Montgomery, Illinois, in August 2005. The Westchester Field Office of the ISGS Environmental Site Assessments Section completed the preliminary environmental assessment for this project for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) in January 2006. The project study area is approximately 88 km (55 mi) long and involved 14 townships and nine communities. Potential environmental hazards were investigated at approximately 107 properties. The information provided by ISGS will be used by IDOT to continue more in-depth environmental work. (Contact: E. Lee Bray)

Central Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Coalition - ISGS Geologists Deliver Update on Mapping Project at Annual Meeting

Several ISGS geologists attended the annual meeting of the Central Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Coalition (CGLGMC) held in Indianapolis, Indiana, January 11-12. ISGS geologists made presentations detailing recent field work and mapping efforts. They also outlined plans to produce 2-D and 3-D maps of glacial materials and aquifer distributions and to compile all relevant geologic information for the Fox Lake Quadrangle in northwestern Lake County. Although the Fox Lake Quadrangle is the current focus of Coalition mapping efforts, Survey staff continue to work throughout the county to develop and refine the regional model of the distribution and characteristics of the geologic materials. The Illinois Survey's detailed mapping (1:24,000-scale) of the glacial materials from land surface to bedrock (about 250 to 350 feet below the surface) provides the foundation for developing a number of additional products, such as a 3-D aquifer map that describes the distributions and characteristics of glacial aquifers. During the Coalition meeting, Survey staff also presented and discussed the recently completed 3-D aquifer map for the Antioch Quadrangle, which is adjacent to the Fox Lake Quadrangle. Maps depicting the conductivity of the aquifers, aquifer sensitivity, and potential recharge areas in the Antioch and Fox Lake Quadrangles are scheduled for completion in late 2006. (Contact: M. Barnhardt)

Energy Facilities Screening in Illinois: GIS Guide to Coal Availability and Resource Development in Illinois

A revised series of statewide digital maps that graphically illustrate coal availability were created for the Springfield and Herrin Coal seams at a scale of 1:250,000. For mapping purposes, the state was divided into three separate regions. These maps show the integration of coal data, water data, current plant locations, transmission line location, and natural history resources, all key elements for siting a mine-mouth power plant. The results were published in the ISGS Open File Series (see citation under the list of new publications). Funding for this roject was provided by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity through their Office of Coal Development. (Contact: S. Gustison)

ISGS Staff Member Becomes Head of Groundwater Association

Beverly Herzog of the Illinois State Geological Survey has been elected to a two-year term as chairperson of the Association of Ground Water Scientists and Engineers (AGWSE) Board of Directors. AGWSE is a division of the National Ground Water Association (NGWA), in which she has been active for more than 25 years. AWGSE has approximately 9,500 members in more than twenty countries. “Bev Herzog has the ability, experience and vision to lead AGWSE as it advances ground water science and the professionalism of its practitioners,” said NGWA Executive Director Kevin McCray. “We look forward to an exciting two years under her leadership.” (Contact: B. Herzog)

Clay and Shale Resources for Bricks

An ISGS staff member provided information on clay and shale resources to a brick company in South Carolina. The company is looking at several areas in Illinois as potential sites for a brick manufacturing plant. They were particularly interested in the results of the Illinois Clean Coal Institute (ICCI)-funded clay and shale project. That project dealt with locating clay and shale resources that exist near coal-burning power plants. The proximity aids the use of these resources, blended with fly ash, a coal combustion by-product, in brickmaking. The ICCI final technical reports and other relevant reports and publication were sent to the company. (Contact: Zak Lasemi)

Search for Arsenic Sources in an Aquifer

Two ISGS staff members sampled several pyrite-rich zones in St. Peter Sandstone cores from Kane County for analysis. Pyritic zones in the St. Peter are known to be a source of arsenic in some areas in Wisconsin. This study is examining the possibility of arsenic introduction to the groundwater system from these zones. (Contacts: Z. Lasemi and B. Dey)

Five Publications Released

One ISGS publication, four publications by ISGS authors in outside venues this month and seven unpublished Preliminary Environmental Site Assessments were released this month. The publications are listed below.

ISGS Publications

Gustison, S.R., P.M. Johanek, and R.J. Finley, 2006, Energy Facilities Screening in Illinois: Guide to Coal Availability and Resource Development in Illinois: Illinois State Geological Survey, Open Files Series 2006-1, 32 p. and 6 maps. CD-ROM.

Outside Publications

Berg, R.C., 2005, Societal and economic benefits of three-dimensional geological mapping for environmental protection at multiple scales: An overview perspective from Illinois, USA, in S.R. Ostaficzuk (ed.), The Current Role of Geological Mapping in Geosciences: Amsterdam, Springer, NATO Science Series, IV. Earth and Environmental Sciences, v. 56, p. 97-114.

Curry, B.B., and D.A. Grimley, 2006, Provenance, age, and environment of mid-Wisconsinan slackwater lake sediment in the St. Louis Metro East Area: Quaternary Research 65: 108-122.

Locke, R.A., J.J. Miner, S.V. Sinclair, M.A. Anliker, G.E. Pociask, B.J. Robinson, and W.S. Dey, 2005, A Method for Estimating Groundwater Contribution Areas for Illinois Nature Preserves and Other Natural Areas: Champaign, Illinois, Illinois State Water Survey Contract Report 2005-11, 57 p.

Trask, C.B., 2006, A preliminary environmental site investigation for a bridge over the Mississippi River at Moline, Illinois in E.J. Calabrese, P.T. Kostecki, and J. Dragun, Contaminated Soils, Sediments and Water, v. 10, Successes and Challenges, p. 445-470.

Highlights Archive

Updated 07/19/2012 SLD