Regional Assessment of Groundwater Quality in the
Piedmont and Valley and Ridge Aquifers
 The aquifers in the Piedmont and Valley and Ridge are part of the National Water-Quality Assessment program assessment of status and trends of groundwater. In the physiographic region of the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Valley and Ridge, there are 5 principal aquifers. The Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers, Piedmont and Blue Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers, and Early Mesozoic basin aquifers are located in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge. In the Valley and Ridge, the principal aquifers are Valley and Ridge aquifers and the Valley and Ridge carbonate-rock aquifers. These aquifers are contiguous fractured-bedrock aquifers that are located in the eastern United States, with a combined area of 154,000 square miles. These 5 aquifers are all included as a part of the regional assessment of water quality in fractured-bedrock aquifers. Because of the lack of data in the Blue Ridge, the study is referred to as the Piedmont and Valley and Ridge aquifer study. Total water use from these aquifers in 2000 was 669 million gallons per day (USGS Circular-1279, Maupin and Barber, 2005).
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Topics selected for the assessment of water quality:
- Nitrate, pesticides, VOCs, and radon in groundwater of the Piedmont (SIR 2006-5104)
- Nitrate and phosphorus in ground-water and stream base flow in the Piedmont and Valley and Ridge (description)
- Nitrate, pesticides, VOCs, and radon in groundwater of the Valley and Ridge (description)
- Comparison of natural and anthropogenic compounds in various geologic terranes (geologic belts) within the Piedmont aquifers (description)
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- Concentrations of pesticides and volatile organic compounds did not exceed drinking water standards in any of the wells sampled. Nitrate concentrations commonly exceeded the drinking water standard of 10 mg/L frequently in 2 of the 10 areas sampled, but in only about 1 percent of the wells in the remaining 8 areas. Radon exceeded proposed standards in many wells, and was highest in areas underlain by crystalline bedrock (Download report)
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General Information
Informational handout about the Piedmont and Valley and Ridge aquifer studies (PDF format, 1Mb)
Piedmont and Valley and Ridge aquifers Included in National Study of Carbonate Aquifers
Groundwater in carbonate rocks in the Piedmont and Valley and Ridge aquifers also are studied as part of a broader NAWQA study of most of the Nation’s carbonate aquifer systems. Findings from this study will provide useful comparisons and enhanced understanding to the current work in the Piedmont and Valley and Ridge aquifers. This national study is based on samples from more than one thousand wells or springs, including those used for monitoring, domestic purposes, and public supply. (SIR 2008-5240)
Hydrogeology of the Piedmont and Valley and Ridge aquifer system—Ground Water Atlas of the United States
- Piedmont and Blue Ridge aquifers in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
- Piedmont and Blue Ridge aquifers in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina
- Valley and Ridge aquifers in Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
- Valley and Ridge aquifers in Alabama and Georgia
- Valley and Ridge aquifers in Tennessee
For more information, contact:
Bruce Lindsey, Hydrologist
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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
