Kansas Geological Survey, Public Information Circular (PIC) 10
Prev. Page--Other Sources of Information

Glossary

Aquifer: A part of a geologic formation (or one or more geologic formations) that is porous and permeable enough to transmit water at a rate sufficient to feed a spring or for economic extraction by a well.

Gravel pack: Coarse sand and gravel placed in the annular space between the borehole and the well casing in the vicinity of the well screen. The purpose of the gravel pack is to minimize the entry of fine sediment into the well, stabilize the borehole, and allow the flow of ground water into the well.

Permeability: A measure of the ease with which water will move through an aquifer. A geologic unit is permeable if ground water moves easily through it.

Salinity: The sum of the dissolved materials in water expressed in milligrams/liter (mg/L). The upper limit for freshwater is 1,000 mg/L; natural seawater has a salinity of approximately 35,000 mg/L.

Well screen: A slotted section of pipe usually placed in the borehole adjacent to the main aquifer unit or units that supplies the well with water.

Contact Information

Kansas Geological Survey, 1930 Constant Ave., Lawrence, KS 66047; phone 785-864-3965, fax 785-864-7728, http://www.kgs.ku.edu/

Kansas Geological Society, 212 North Market, Wichita, KS 67202; phone 316-265-8676, http://www.kgslibrary.com/

Kansas Ground Water Association, P.O. Box 107, Mullinville, KS 67109-0107; phone 316-548-2996, http://www.kgwa.org/

Western Kansas Groundwater Management District #1, Box 604, Scott City, KS 67871; phone 316-872-5563, http://www.gmd1.org/

Southwestern Kansas Groundwater Management District #3, 409B Campus Drive, Garden City, KS 67846; phone 316-275-7147, http://www.gmd3.org/

Big Bend Groundwater Management District #5, P.O. Box 7, 125 South Main, Stafford, KS 67578; phone 316-549-3891, http://www.gmd5.org

Division of Water Resources, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Mills Building, 209 SW 9th, Suite 202, Topeka, KS 66612-1283; phone 785-296-3717, http://www.ksda.gov/dwr/

Prev. Page--Other Sources of Information

Kansas Geological Survey, Public Outreach
bsawin@kgs.ku.edu
Web version May 1998
http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/pic10/pic10_5.html