Ground-water development in East St. Louis area, Illinois. Urbana, IL ...

a test hole near Monsanto. The coefficient of permeability
of the aquifer in the vicinity of the test hole was estimated
to be 3000 gpd/sq ft from aquifer-test data. The
50 percent size of the materials in the finest sample is
less than 4 times the 50 percent size of the materials in
the coarsest sample; therefore, the slot size should not
be tailored to individual samples but should be based on
the mechanical analysis of the finest sample. The effective
grain sizes of all three samples are greater than 0.01 and
uniformity coefficients are greater than 3. A natural
pack well is therefore indicated. The materials overlying
the aquifer will not easily cave so the sieve size (0.060
inch) that retains 40 percent of the aquifer materials is
selected as the proper slot size.
Suppose a pumping rate of 1000 gpm is desired.
Computations made with equation 9, indicate that 26
feet of 16-inch continuous slot screen with a slot opening
of 0.060 inches is needed. The effective open area of
the screen is estimated to be 0.640 sq ft per foot of the
screen. The optimum screen entrance velocity (table 20)
is equal to 8 fpm.
Alternate designs to the above example are possible by
using a small diameter screen with a longer length or a
larger diameter screen with a shorter length.
The following are well diameters that have been used
in Illinois (Smith, 1961):
Pumping
rate
(gpm)
Diameter
of well
(in)
125 6
300 8
600 10
1200 12
2000 14
3000 16
Experience has shown that in the case of a multiple
well system consisting of more than two wells the proper
spacing between wells is at least 250 feet.
GROUND-WATER
The first significant withdrawal of ground water in
the East St. Louis area started in the late 1890s. Prior to
1900 ground water was primarily used for domestic and
farm supplies; since 1900 pumpage has been mostly for
industrial use. The first record of an industrial well in the
East St. Louis area is for a well drilled in 1894 by the Big
Four Railroad in East Alton (Bowman and Reeds, 1907).
The well was 54 feet deep and 8 inches in diameter, and
was pumped at an average rate of 75,000 gpd. The
water was used primarily in locomotive boilers. The
meat packing industry in National City started to pump
large quantities of ground water in 1900. According to
Schicht and Jones (1962), estimated pumpage from
wells in the National City area increased from 400,000
gpd in 1900 to 5.3 mgd in 1910. The first municipal well
was drilled in 1899 by Edwardsville at a site near Poag
and was pumped at an average rate of 300,000 gpd. The
second municipal well was drilled in 1901 by Collinsville
at a site about a mile north of Caseyville and was
pumped at an average rate of 100,000 gpd. Pumpage
from wells in the East St. Louis area from 1890 through
1960 was estimated by Schicht and Jones (1962). Estimated
pumpage from wells increased from 2.1 mgd in
1900 to 111.0 mgd in 1956 as shown in figure 32. Pumpage
declined sharply from 111.0 mgd in 1956 to 92.0
mgd in 1958 and then gradually increased to 93.0 mgd in
1960. The average rate of pumpage increase for the period
1890 through 1960 was about 1.5 mgd per year.
Pumpage from wells in the East St. Louis area was
greatest in 1956, totaling 111.0 mgd. As shown in figure
32 pumpage increased from 93.0 mgd in 1960 to 96.8 mgd
in 1961, and increased sharply to 105.0 mgd in 1962.
WITHDRAWALS
Pumpage is concentrated in five major pumping centers
: the Alton, Wood River, Granite City, National City,
and Monsanto areas. Also, there are five minor pumping
centers: the Fairmont City, Caseyville, Poag, Troy, and
Glen Carbon areas. The distribution of pumpage in 1956
and 1962 are shown in figures 33 and 34 respectively,
which also indicate the locations of the pumping centers.
As shown in figures 35 and 36, changes in pumpage for
the period of record are similar in all major pumping
centers. Poor economic conditions are reflected in the
decreased pumpage during the years of the late 1920s
and early 1930s. The effects of increased production dur-
Figure 32. Estimated pumpage from wells,
1890 through 1962, subdivided by use
31