Mining unique soft old water within the Manson Impact Structure, Iowa (USA)

Abstract

The City of Manson, Iowa (USA), lies near the center of the Manson Impact Structure (MIS), a 37-km diameter impact crater that formed about 74 million years ago. The MIS is present at the bedrock surface, but it is completely buried by 20–90 m (70–300 ft) of glacial till and displays no surface expression. Groundwater samples were collected from Manson’s municipal well and nearby domestic wells to assess the sustainability of unusually soft water that typifies the central peak of the Manson Impact Structure. Groundwater quality indices from the various aquifer sources were distinctly different, with groundwater from the central peak of the crater exhibiting low Ca ( 3.7 mg/L; max = 10.0 mg/L) and certain trace elements (e.g. Li, Mo, W). In contrast, groundwater collected from wells in overlying Quaternary aquifers was very hard (high Ca and Mg), with high alkalinity (>261 mg/L as CaCO3), sulfate (58–485 mg/L) and occasionally nitrate-N (up to 6 mg/L). Age-dating techniques using 3H, 14C, and 36Cl suggested water older than 35,000 years to possibly as old as 1,000,000 years within the central peak aquifer, but indicated recent water in overlying aquifers. Pumping of the Manson municipal wells appears to be mining old water of the central peak aquifer and drawing modern water containing elevated hardness and nitrate-N down into the aquifer. The Manson example illustrates a source-water challenge of balancing aquifer quality with sustainability.