Effects of Land Use on Ground Water Quality, St. Cloud Area, Minnesota – Summary of Results from 1997 through 2000

A ground water study began in fall of 1996 to assess impacts of land use on ground water quality. The study area, located near St. Cloud, Minnesota, is experiencing rapid urbanization. A shallow sand and gravel aquifer underlies the area. The aquifer is sensitive to changes in land use. A sampling network across an approximately 30 squaremile area includes 23 monitoring wells screened at the water table, 21 domestic wells screened at various depths in the aquifer, 2 surface water sampling locations, 4 continuous water level recorders in monitoring wells, 3 well nests, 2 surface water gauging stations, and a weather station. Quarterly sampling, conducted between 1997 and 2000, included major cations and anions, trace inorganics, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), herbicides, field parameters, total and dissolved organic carbon, total dissolved and suspended solids, ammonia, organic nitrogen, and water level measurements. Additionally, samples for tritium, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and perchlorate were collected on one occasion during the study.