Hilary Gittings

Research Description

The Mukwonago River watershed located about 35 miles southeast of Milwaukee, has been identified as an "outstanding water resource" by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and has been the target of conservation efforts by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and others for almost two decades. Recent suburban development has spawned a rapidly expanding commuter population and increasing demands for public water supplies, with several new high capacity wells proposed within the last year. There is a critical need to evaluate potential effects of increased pumping and reduced recharge in order to protect the springs and wetlands of this watershed.

The objective of this project is to improve understanding of hydrogeologic controls on groundwater discharge to springs and wetlands in the Mukwonago River watershed in order to allow assessment of current and potential future impacts of groundwater withdrawals and suburban development. This will be accomplished through field studies and development of a numerical groundwater flow model. The project will also provide opportunities to 1) test and refine a conceptual model of spring localization along the edge of preglacial, buried bedrock valleys, 2) assess the usefulness of a regional scale model as the basis for developing more detailed models of areas of particular concern, and 3) evaluate the combined use of water level records and groundwater geochemical and isotopic signatures in constraining sources of water to springs and wetlands.