Connate Groundwater from the Precambrian, South Park, Colorado

Presented on Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Terrance R Birdsall, P.G., Quantum Water Consulting, Lakewood, CO

Groundwater supply investigations in fractured Precambrian metamorphic rocks for a cattle ranch near South Park, Colorado have revealed two separate aquifers: an upper, low-TDS aquifer fed by meteoric recharge, and an anomalous deeper aquifer of trapped, highly saline, CO2-saturated water. The ranch is located near the western margin of the Elkhorn Thrust, where during the Laramide Orogeny, Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks were thrust over existing sedimentary rocks, such as the Cretaceous Pierre Shale. Geochemical and stable isotopic analyses of the water reveal the water is near-connate. It is postulated that the underlying sedimentary rocks are the source of this carbonated connate water.

After grouting the lower portion of the well to minimize the boundary effects of the lower aquifer, a method for tapping the upper, high-quality groundwater was developed and implemented. The method includes an in-hole transducer that measures and records electroconductivity, turning the well on and off using set upper and lower thresholds found to be acceptable to the cattle operation.


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Terrance R Birdsall, P.G.
Quantum Water Consulting, Lakewood, CO
Terrance Birdsall is a staff geologist at Quantum Water Consulting in Lakewood, Colorado. He has more than eight years of experience as a geoscience professional in hydrogeology, geochemistry, and all aspects of geologic interpretation, and has an extensive background in computer technology including U.S. Marine Corps, government, and laboratory applications. His current projects include designing large production water wells, aquifer pump test analyses, water well rehabilitation, and computer groundwater modeling. Birdsall has an M.S. in Geochemistry from Colorado School of Mines, and a B.S. in Geology from Colorado State University, and is a licensed Professional Geologist in Utah and Wyoming.
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