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A steady-state, three-dimensional ground-water-flow model of the unconfined part of the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system beneath the upper parts of the Rancocas Creek and Wading River Basins in the New Jersey Pinelands was developed to (1) define ground-water-flow patterns and residence times in an aquifer system typical of the New Jersey Coastal Plain and (2) demonstrate the effects of alternative withdrawal strategies on ground-water-flow patterns and streams. Ground-water flow near the McDonalds-Middle Branch area was analyzed by using a particle tracker to demonstrate the effects of three hypothetical withdrawal scenarios on the configurations of source areas of ground-water flow to withdrawal wells, streams, and other discharge outlets in the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system. Under natural conditions, more than 98 percent of the ground water in the part of the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system underlying the upper Rancocas Creek and Wading River Basins enters the system as recharge. More than 87 percent of the ground water discharges to streams and wetlands. Ground-water seepage to the underlying Piney Point aquifer accounts for about 8 percent of discharge from the system. Areas near major drainage divides are the source of flow to distant parts of the system. Consequently, source areas of flow to small basins located near major drainage divides do not necessarily coincide with the physiographic boundaries of the basins. Ground-water residence times ranged from slightly greater than zero to about 200 years. Much of the ground water remained in the system for less than 20 years because it discharged to streams. Residence times of ground water were reduced significantly by persistent withdrawals. The sizes and shapes of source areas of flow to local stream systems and to the Piney Point aquifer are affected by the location of a withdrawal well. The source area of flow to the withdrawal well includes areas of the water table that would, under natural conditions, be incorporated into source areas of flow to streams or to the Piney Point aquifer. Simulated withdrawals of 1.85 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) at the divide have negligible effects on source areas of ground-water flow to adjacent streams, but capture recharge that under natural conditions would flow deep into the aquifer. Simulated withdrawals of 1.85 Mgal/d located away from the divide, however, capture the most recharge from source areas of flow to adjacent streams. Large-scale regional withdrawals that cause a 10to 15-foot decrease in heads in the Piney Point aquifer and divert 6.2 Mgal/d of ground water from the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system increase the source area of flow to the Piney Point aquifer by diverting ground water from streams. Results of withdrawal simulations indicate that well-location strategies applied in the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system can mitigate the adverse effects of withdrawals on streams and that large-scale regional withdrawals in confined aquifers can adversely effect streams although the effects are dispersed over numerous streams. INTRODUCTION The Coastal Plain of New Jersey contains a system of drainage basins and aquifers that are crucial to the State's water supply. Because the physical and chemical characteristics of the basins affect the quantity and quality of both surface runoff and recharge to the aquifer system, basins function as important controls on the region's water supply. The New Jersey Pinelands is a reserve area that encompasses the major drainage divides of the Coastal Plain and many of the area's hydrologically important drainage basins (fig. 1). The New Jersey Pinelands (or Pineland Reserve) is a 2,300-mi2 area that contains recreational, agricultural, and residential land. The Pinelands contains several forest preserves with abundant riparian and tidal wetlands that function as ecological buffering systems. Many of these wetlands are located along the boundary of the Pinelands where demand for ground water has increased as a result of continuing development. In recent years, the potential effects of increased demands for ground water on basins located near rapidly developing areas have become a concern for water-supply managers. A major problem for State and municipal regulatory agencies is to allocate water needed to satisfy development while ensuring that such needs do not create excessive, long-term ground-water diversion from streams and adjacent wetland areas. In order to effectively regulate water supply near these areas, regulatory agencies need to link allocation criteria to hydrologic processes at both large and small scales on the basis of the characteristics of the basins and aquifers within their jurisdiction. Little information on the relation between regional-scale ground-water flow and localized flow in small drainage basins is available, however. The major objectives of this study, conducted by the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, were to (1) define ground-water-flow patterns and residence times under natural conditions in selected drainage basins of the Pinelands located near major drainage divides and (2) demonstrate the effect of several alternative strategies for groundwater withdrawal from the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system and Piney Point aquifer on the configuration of source areas of ground-water flow to streams and other discharge outlets in the area. In this report, "source area" refers to an area on the water table where recharge enters the ground-water system and flows to discharge outlets such as streams and withdrawal wells. The central part of the New Jersey Pinelands was selected for study because ground-water flow in this area is least affected by development; therefore, the unstressed ground-water-flow conditions in the unconfined aquifer in this area provide the best "index" of unstressed flow conditions with which to compare stressed flow conditions, especially near a major drainage divide, where ground-water flow is most sensitive to induced stresses. The results of this study demonstrate the cause-and-effect relations between withdrawal and ground-water diversion and illustrate some potentially unanticipated ground-water-flow responses to withdrawals near major divides and in multilayered aquifer systems under various hydrologic conditions.

Simulated effects of alternative withdrawal strategies on ground-water-flow patterns, New Jersey Pinelands